


Bringing back Astoria

by The_Azkaban_Dreamer



Series: The Childhood of Scorpius Malfoy [4]
Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Centaurs, Did you know that there was a Blizzard?, F/M, Gen, Headmistresses Office, Ice Skating, Invisibility Cloak, M/M, Malfoy Family Feels, One- sided Scorose, Owlery, Portkey, Post Cursed Child, Resurrection Stone, Scorbus friendship, Snowball Fight, Snowmen, Stargazing, The Forbidden Forest, blizzard, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2018-12-29 20:18:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12092655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Azkaban_Dreamer/pseuds/The_Azkaban_Dreamer
Summary: It has been two years since Astoria Malfoy has died and her son, Scorpius has been missing her constantly. After coming across a mention of The Resurrection Stone, Scorpius and Albus Potter set out to retrieve it from The Forbidden Forest.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this story rattling around my head for a while now and I've been working to get this up but it's been taking longer than I've thought.

_It was a wet day in Wiltshire and a family of three were making their way across a water soaked field where the river had burst its bank. A magnificent Manor House loomed behind them under an iron-grey sky. The smallest of the three, a small boy, ran ahead of the other two and took a big jump. Water splashed everywhere as the small boy jumped into the puddle. He laughed as some of it splashed his parents causing them to jump back._

" _Scorpius be careful," Draco Malfoy said worriedly. "You'll get all muddy."_

" _He's alright, Draco dear." His wife, Astoria laughed. "Stop worrying. It's only water after all."_

" _Watch me Mum! Watch me Dad!" Scorpius cried excitedly and he took a running jump into a very large puddle. It was a lot deeper then he thought and Draco winced as water splashed all over the place and Scorpius got soaked. Astoria laughed her head off at the sight of her wet, muddy son._

" _Scorpius! Look at you!" Draco cried, pulling out his wand. "You're soaking wet."_

" _I know! It was great!" Scorpius said happily as he looked around for another puddle to jump into. "Can I jump in another one?" He asked._

" _I don't think so," Draco grumbled as a jet of hot air shot out from his wand, instantly drying Scorpius. "We don't want you complaining about feeling uncomfortable now, do we?"_

" _You'll catch a cold," Astoria added, her eyes twinkling. "And if you're not careful, you could fall through to another world and we'd never get you back."_

_Scorpius's eyes widened in wonder. "Really?" He asked._

" _That's right," Draco said catching on. "You should be careful, because you might enter a world where there are no sweets."_

" _And what would you do without any Pepper Imps?" Astoria asked, trying to keep a straight face as Scorpius looked horrified at the thought of no Pepper Imps in his life._

" _You wouldn't want that, would you?" Draco asked._

" _No, certainly not!" Scorpius said, looking between his parents. "That's a horrible idea. I like my Pepper Imps and I like this world. I want things to stay like this for ever."_

" _Come on," said Astoria, as Draco shifted uncomfortably. "Let's go feed the ducks."_

_Before Draco and Astoria could move, Scorpius sped towards the river bank, his feet squelching as a result of his water-logged wellies whilst taking extra care not to jump into any more puddles._

" _Scorpius, wait for me," Draco called as he tried keeping up with his son._

" _Getting old, dear?" Astoria asked him, a small smile forming on her lips. Draco looked at her fondly._

" _He's got lots of energy," He remarked. "I can't keep up with him. He's so happy as well."_

" _Yes," Astoria smiled, taking Draco's hand and leaning her head against his shoulder. "I hope he stays that way."_

* * *

He was happier. Happier than he had been for a while, and Fifth Year was a busy Year for Scorpius Malfoy and thankfully, it was one where nobody was trying to murder him or torture him or change time to bring back long dead dark Wizards. He was looking forward to taking his O.W.L.s and facing the future. Yet there was one person who wouldn't be there, and it left a hole in his heart that could never be filled: His Mum.

It had been two years since she had died and he had been missing her ever since. Yet lately, his memories of her had been fading and he was scared that one day he was going to forget her voice completely. She had been weaving in and out of his dreams lately and he'd reach out to touch her and she'd fade as if she were smoke. He'd have that dream every night before waking up in a cold sweat and turning over to go back to sleep.

Her absence weighed down upon him profoundly and he found himself wishing the impossible: That he could get her back.  
But she could never come back. She was in a place where he could never reach her. However, he had read somewhere that there was a device called The Resurrection Stone which could bring back loved ones. He had heard rumours that Harry Potter may have used it during the Battle of Hogwarts when he had to sacrifice himself to Voldemort.

It was all he had to go on and it gave him a burning obsession. He began further research in the Library on the subject of the Resurrection Stone, but was only able to find more rumours. As the days went by, he spent longer and longer in the Library and his best friend, Albus Potter, Harry Potter's Son was starting to voice his concerns. He stopped staying at the Library late at night and began to take his books back to his Dormitory where Albus caught him reading about his Dad. Thankfully, he was amused rather than annoyed and didn't trouble Scorpius any further.

* * *

He was lying in bed one night reading a Biography about Harry Potter when Albus entered the dormitory bringing in a strong smell of Potions smoke which caused Scorpius's nose to wrinkle.

"Reading about my Dad again, Scorpius?" He asked in mock disgust as he opened his trunk and dug in it for his pyjamas.

"Oh, sorry," Scorpius muttered, worried that Albus might take offense. "I'll call it a night."

He made to bookmark his page but Albus stopped him.

"You don't have to stop," He said hastily. "I don't mind if you read about my Dad. He _is_ Harry Potter after all and I know how much you're a big history geek." He finished with a smirk.

Scorpius gave him a small smile and carried on reading as Albus changed into his pyjamas. After he changed, Albus scooted onto the bed and sat next to Scorpius.

"So, what part are you reading about?" He asked, peering over Scorpius's shoulder interestedly.

"The Battle of Hogwarts." Scorpius replied distractedly.

"Has my Mum _thrown_ herself into my Dad's arms, yet?" Albus asked dryly. Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"No, I'm reading about the bit where Harry gives himself up." Scorpius said.

"Oh yeah!" Albus exclaimed in wonderment. "The bit where he ' _dies_ '. Sorry," He grinned sheepishly. "Did I spoil that bit for you?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes again, a small smile forming across his face.

"He didn't exactly ' _die_ ', Albus." He chuckled. "You're living proof of that."

"He meant to," Albus said thoughtfully. "I guess that part didn't work out so well."

"I've seen the alternative," Scorpius said testily. "I'm glad that it didn't."

"Yeah," Albus exhaled, running a hand through his messy hair. "So am I."

Albus fell silent but stayed next to Scorpius who began reading again. They remained in companionable silence for a while whilst Scorpius was reading. Albus continued to peer over his shoulder. After a while, Scorpius shut the book and set it on his bedside table.

"I can't find it," He muttered to himself, kneading his forehead with his knuckles.

"Are you alright, Scorpius?" Albus asked worriedly. "What are you looking for?"

"It's nothing important." Scorpius said evasively. He didn't want Albus to worry about him any further.

"If it's nothing important, why are you looking so stressed out?" Albus asked reasonably.

Scorpius tensed. Should he tell Albus about what he was looking for? He was certain that Albus wouldn't laugh or tease him but he didn't want to admit it out loud to himself. He didn't want to trouble Albus about it, either, as things were improving for him as well. As if he knew what Scorpius was thinking, Albus put a hand on Scorpius's shoulder.

"You know you can talk to me, mate," He said softly. "Don't go bottling it all up. It'll only drive you crazy. Trust me. I know about these things."

Scorpius looked at him and Albus gave him a small, soft smile that only Scorpius was privy to. The smile caused a warmth to bloom in Scorpius's chest, giving him the courage to tell his friend the truth.

"You always have a way of getting me to tell the truth," He muttered. "I'm just glad you didn't tickle me this time. I was looking for any mention of The Resurrection Stone I remember reading a book that claimed your Dad may have used it when he gave himself up to Voldemort, but so far I've found nothing!"

Albus stared at him for a while, face unreadable and a small frown appearing on his face.

"Why are you researching about The Resurrection Stone?" He asked slowly. Scorpius looked up at him, about to answer but Albus cut him off. "Unless," He seemed to have realised. "It's about your Mum, isn't it? You want to use it so you could bring her back, don't you?"

Scorpius stared at Albus wide eyed for a moment before forcing himself to give a tiny nod.

"I know I'm probably being ridiculous," He said quietly. "Talking about bringing back the dead when our last attempt failed spectacularly, but I've been really missing her, Albus. I don't know if it's to do with the weather, because she really used to love the winter or if it is to do with our adventure last year. Because, well, she was part of the reason why I came with you. But as you know, she got sick and was dead in all of the timelines we visited and with this Stone, I'll be able to see her again."

Albus stared at him for a moment and Scorpius regretted saying anything. He was stupid to think that he could get his Mum back. Albus probably thought that he was being ridiculous, wishing he could see his Mum again, but then Albus pulled him into a hug.

"I'm sorry," Albus said sadly, rubbing Scorpius's back. "It's really rubbish what happened to her. Of course you want to see her again. You know you can talk to me anytime about this, right?"

Scorpius nodded, thankful he was able to confide in Albus and get it off his chest.

"You know I swore that I was going mad," Scorpius mumbled. Albus pulled out of the hug to look at him.

"Why's that?" He asked with a smile, his bright green eyes sparkling with so much affection, that it took Scorpius's breath away.

"Only _one_ book mentioned that your Dad may have used the Stone at the Battle of Hogwarts and that was just a passing comment. I was searching through all the others and not _one_ mention was made. It's as if it's a conspiracy theory or something. I tried researching about The Resurrection Stone but all the credible Historians such as Bathilda Bagshot seem to dismiss it as a myth. It's as if it has never existed." He turned away from Albus, deep in thought. Perhaps the Stone _was_ a myth after all. Maybe he was wasting his time.

"Yeah, it's not something that my Dad likes to talk about," Albus said slowly. "He's probably worried that it'll fall into the wrong hands or something."

Scorpius turned his head around so fast to look at Albus, that he cricked his neck. "You mean the rumours are true?" He asked excitedly as he rubbed his neck.

"They are," Albus nodded. "My Dad used it to bring my Grandparents back, along with his Godfather and my Godbrother's Dad, Remus Lupin."

"What did he do with it?" Scorpius asked eagerly. Albus shrugged.

"Dropped it, I suppose," He said. "It's probably still there. Out in the Forest."

Excitement flooded Scorpius and he felt a surge of hope going through him making him feel as if he could fly several times around the world on his broom. Yet there was one thing nagging at the back of his mind.

"Wait a minute," Scorpius frowned, voicing his thoughts. "How do you know all of this?"

"Well I _am_ Harry Potter's Son," Albus said with a wry smile. "Dad told me. He spent a lot of time with me over the summer, and we were talking about things. At first, I was worried that it was going to be vomit inducing but surprisingly enough, it wasn't. The Battle of Hogwarts came up one day, and he was telling me how he's had to live with the deaths of so many friends for twenty-four years and he mentioned how he used the Stone and how he walked to his death."

Albus wasn't looking at Scorpius now. His eyes didn't seem to be focusing on anything. They were filled with sadness and his face looked glum. Scorpius put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Are you still in there, Albus?" He asked softly. Albus seemed to snap out of his thoughts and his eyes met Scorpius's once more.

"Sorry," Albus mumbled. "It's just after everything that happened last year, I think- But yeah, the Stone exists, Scorpius. I don't know where the clearing is but it definitely exists. Dad never told anyone else. I don't think he even told James and Lily."

Scorpius laughed with relief. He had spent weeks researching the Resurrection Stone and found nothing. He briefly wondered why he didn't ask Albus in the first place.

"That's brilliant! That's amazing! That's the best news ever!" He beamed pulling Albus into a tight hug. Albus laughed.

"It's good to see you happy again," He chortled, patting Scorpius's back before pulling out of the hug. "You should get some sleep." He said seriously. "You look _exhausted_. We don't want you falling asleep in History of Magic now, do we?"

Scorpius laughed. "Who'll take your notes?" He giggled.

"Exactly," Albus grinned as he gave Scorpius's shoulder a squeeze. It took a moment for Scorpius to fully register what he said.

"You should take your _own_ notes, Albus!" Scorpius huffed indignantly. "I won't be able to do the exam for you."

"I probably will if you crash out tomorrow," Albus snorted. "Although being such huge nerd that you are, I'm pretty sure that I'll know most of the questions thanks to you."

"Oh, really?" Scorpius asked, feeling in a mischievous mood all of a sudden. "Well then, Mister know it all. Have you ever read the bit where your parents were reunited after the Battle of Hogwarts?"

"Well, yeah," Albus said, rolling his eyes. "My Mum _throws_ herself into my Dads arms. "Anyone can tell you that."

"Well that's not strictly true," Scorpius said. He grabbed the book again and found the part that described the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts and pretended to read.

"There were reports that Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley were found by the Hogwarts Lake, arms wrapped around each other and snuggling as if there was no tomorrow,"

" _Stop!_ Albus groaned."Those are my Parents that you're reading about!"

"But it's _romantic,_ Albus," Scorpius insisted, trying his hardest not to laugh. "Don't you want to read about the part where after the battle, they finally locked eyes upon each other and your Mum ran the length of the Great Hall to kiss him passionately in front of everyone? That part brings tears to my eyes."

"That's funny," Albus said, shaking his head at Scorpius. "That part brings vomit to my mouth. _No one_ should read about their parents doing stuff like _that_."

"If you think _that's_ bad, you should read about their Wedding day," Scorpius said, failing to control the grin that was spreading across his face. "Apparently, they kissed for- "

Scorpius was cut off as Albus launched a pillow that hit him square in the face. It slid off him and landed between them. Scorpius burst out laughing before hitting Albus with it. The two boys were soon involved in a fast pillow fight before collapsing on the bed in a heap of giggles. It took a while for them both to calm down. They were both red faced and breathless with laughter.

"There was no need to assault me with a pillow," Scorpius wheezed, trying to push Albus off him.

"That's what you get for talking about my parents kissing," Albus snorted, bopping him on the nose and scooting off him.

"And you fell for my cunning ploy," Scorpius said happily. "They didn't really do all of that. But it was worth saying they did to see the look on your face."

"Yeah, I noticed," Albus grumbled. Scorpius tried to suppress a yawn but failed. Albus noticed and the laughter disappeared from his eyes and was replaced by concern.

"You're tired," He said pointedly.

"Well that usually happens when one has had a long day and is repeatedly assaulted with a pillow," Scorpius said matter-of-factly.

"Get some sleep, yeah? "Albus said softly. "I know how much you love History of Magic."

"Well that was my intention before you came in, but that's a suggestion that I'm eager to take," Scorpius said. Albus grinned and hopped of the bed and got in his own.

"Sweet dreams," Albus sing-songed, causing Scorpius to laugh.

Scorpius put his book back on his bedside table and grabbed his wand and waved it, causing the curtains around his four-poster bed to fly shut. He was quite sure that he was too excited to fall asleep, but in no time at all, he fell asleep and his mother wove in and out of his dreams again clearer than she had been for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still working on this story. I did originally plan for this to be a long one-shot but I have decided that it needed to be posted as a multi-chapter story.
> 
> I will probably update this once a week depending.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was easier to edit so I'm posting it sooner than expected.

Scorpius's mood improved drastically during the next week. He threw himself into everything great vigour. The knowledge that the Resurrection Stone was real kept him going like a talisman. Although sometimes, it resulted in almost disastrous consequences. Albus had to rescue him when he over enthusiastically pursued Rose Ganger-Weasley in an attempt to ask her out on a date. He was certain that her hex would've hit him if it wasn't for Albus's well timed shield charm.

Ever since Albus told him that the Stone existed, Scorpius had been going to the Library in his spare time doing some research into the Forbidden Forest, trying to find the site where Harry Potter had met Voldemort when he gave himself up. It wasn't until a week later that he made a major breakthrough.

He ran down the corridors in triumph, feeling a strong sense of purpose. Never before had he found anything as important. He swept down the Dungeons and made his way to the Slytherin Common Room, determined to find Albus and show him what he had found.

He found Albus sitting at a table hunched over his Astronomy Homework, muttering to himself angrily and scribbling things out.

"Albus!" Scorpius whispered loudly and excitedly, causing several students to shoot him angry glares. He grinned at them apologetically as Albus looked up at the sound of his name.

Scorpius placed a large pile of books on top of Albus's star chart and flung himself into the chair opposite him.

"Look what I found!" Scorpius said, barely containing his excitement.

"Blimey, Scorpius," Albus said weakly, staring at the pile of books on top of his Star chart. "I know you're a massive geek, but that has to be the _whole_ Library. You'll give my Aunt Hermione a run for her money at this rate."

"Never mind the books," Scorpius said impatiently. "I only got them out for a bit of light reading. Look what I've found."

He put a hand in his robes and took out an old a map of The Forbidden Forest. Scorpius looked up eagerly, checking Albus's reaction. A look of understanding appeared in his brilliant green eyes replacing the look of exasperated amusement that was there moments before.

"You've found out where my Dad gave himself up to Voldemort, didn't you?" He asked softly.

"I've finally found it, Albus!" Scorpius exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement any longer. "I know where to look for The Resurrection Stone! It's in this clearing here!"

He pointed to a large clearing at the edge of the map.

"I knew you'd find it." Albus smiled at him. "Looks like you have to go through the Centaurs bit of the Forest to find it, though."

"If I leave now, I'd probably make it back in about two hours." Scorpius said, standing up. A look of shock appeared on Albus's face.

" _Wait_ ," He hissed, grabbing hold of Scorpius's sleeve. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy! Get that strange look out of your eye! You can't just leave now."

"Why not?" Scorpius asked, feeling slightly hurt. It was a bit rich of Albus to tell him not to leave when Albus had jumped off the Hogwarts Express last year and had almost destroyed the world. Although Scorpius had to admit that he had helped Albus and had accepted his share of the blame. He was sure that Albus would want to set out straight away if he were in Scorpius's shoes.

"We need to plan this out properly," Albus said testily. "It's freezing out there and you'll probably get caught. I know you want to get out there and find The Stone, I know I would if this was me."

"We didn't exactly plan it out properly when we jumped off the train last year." Scorpius pointed out bitterly.

"No, that was quite spontaneous," Albus agreed. "But it's taught me a lot. Rushing in without planning anything is never the best outcome. My Dad learnt it the hard way and we did last year. You'll only get caught or run into some monster of Hagrid's out there or come across the Centaurs. I know that The Stone is no Time-Turner. I don't think we'll destroy the world with it, but this is about your Mum and I want things to go right for you. If anyone deserves to use it, then it would be you. I want to help you. You're my best friend. That's what friends are for."

Scorpius felt his throat tighten and his vision fog with tears and a strong sense of gratitude threatened to overwhelm him.

"Albus…That's a really nice thing to say." He sniffed, wiping his face with his sleeve. Albus gave him a soft smile and patted his arm.

"So, do you know, by any chance, know if one of Jupiter's moons in covered in mice?" He asked casually, his bright green eyes sparkling with mischief.

"What? No!" Scorpius exclaimed, moving around the table to sit next to Albus, removing the large pile of books that he dumped on Albus's Star chart. "You must be thinking of Europa that's covered in _ice_."

"You wait till I get hold of my Dad," Albus grumbled, scribbling out a part of his essay. "He swore blind once that it was covered in mice."

Scorpius laughed. "I know he's the great Harry Potter and all that, but your Dad's not much of an Astronomer." He chuckled.

"If you think that's bad then you should hear what my Brother said," Albus grinned. "James told me once that Europa was covered in _rice_."

Scorpius burst out laughing and spent the night teasing Albus about his family's poor Astronomy knowledge whilst helping Albus with his Astronomy essay and in turn, Albus helped him with a particularly nasty essay about Anti-Venoms. He went to bed that night in a particularly good mood having done all his Homework and dreamed of his Mother once more.

* * *

_The patter of his tiny feet echoed as he climbed the stairs leading to the roof garden of Malfoy Manor. His Mum was taken ill and was rushed to St Mungo's the other week and this was her first night back at the Manor. He was eager to see her after she spent two weeks in Hospital. He pushed open the door excitedly and sneezed. The Roof Garden was home to the most wonderful, colourful plants that Scorpius had ever seen. There were giant Sunflowers, small bluebells and Roses of every colour imaginable. Some were even bigger than Scorpius and one little plant looked as if one touch would break it. By day, it was a riot of colour and by night, it was illuminated by the Fairies that lived in some of the trees._

_Several, small Fairies fluttered about between the plants as Scorpius moved between the pots trying to find his Mum. He found her at the edge of the balcony, looking thinner than he remembered her to be, but no less beautiful. A purple shawl was wrapped her shoulders and she was looking through a shiny brass Telescope._

" _MUM!" He cried, running between two pots of Lavender almost tripping over a creeper vine that was resting lazily ._

_Astoria looked round and gave him a brilliant smile._

" _Hello Scorpius," She beamed as Scorpius tackled her in a hug. "Careful, now. I'm still sore," She said gently. "How have you been?"_

" _I've missed you," Scorpius said, taking in his Mums comforting scent. "Are you feeling better now? Will you have to go the Hospital again?"_

_Astoria pulled away and looked at him. Scorpius saw that her face was thinner than before, but her eyes still shone brightly._

" _I'm well enough to come back home, sweetheart," She smiled. "I've got some of my old strength back but I've got to take a really disgusting Potion that tastes like fish."_

" _ **Fish?**_ _" Scorpius asked horrified. He never liked fish. It never seemed to agree with him. He pulled a face which Astoria laughed at._

" _I know," She smiled. "And Sugar makes it useless, which is too bad. At least you don't have to drink it. As for having to go to the Hospital again, well I'm afraid I can't make any promises."_

_She stroked his blond head, smoothing his hair down. He had missed her touch while she was at the hospital._

" _What are doing out here, Mum?" He asked curiously._

" _I was just looking at the stars." Astoria said. "Do you want a look?"_

" _Okay" He bounded over, almost tripping over a creeping vine. Astoria flicked her wand and all the nearest plants rose in the air and hovered over them. A few fairies flew out of a bush and angrily shook their tiny fists at Astoria before zooming away. Astoria adjusted the Telescope so it was low enough for Scorpius and he peered into it._

" _Wow!" He exclaimed excitedly. "They're so bright!"_

" _Yes, they are," Astoria laughed. "That's the North Star you're looking at. Do you remember what it's called?"_

" _Polaris!" Scorpius recited immediately. "Located in the constellation of Ursa Minor."_

" _Very good," Astoria beamed. "Do you want to have a look at the Star Charts?"_

_Scorpius stepped away from the Telescope and bounded to the Coffee Table where there was a large Star Chart. He scanned the chart before letting out another cry of amazement._

" _There's my name!" He exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the chart._

" _You're a star," Astoria beamed. Scorpius grinned and continued looking at the chart. The Constellations had some funny names. Microscopium, Octans and Puppis to name a few. He was glad that he wasn't named after any one of those._

" _There's Dad!" Scorpius shouted suddenly pointing at the chart again. Astoria laughed again and he continued scanning the chart for a while._

" _Scorpius? Are you up here?" Draco's voice called from the stairwell._

" _Speak of the devil," Astoria said dryly._

" _Oh, there you are." Draco sighed in relief as he appeared in the doorway and then began to navigate his way through the plants. "It'll be time for bed soon."_

" _That's right," Astoria agreed. "We don't want you to be all sleepy tomorrow when your Grandparents visit. Your Grandfather wouldn't be amused."She added, her voice becoming icy all of a sudden.  
_

" _You're not on the chart," Scorpius said sadly, looking up at his mother. Astoria gave him a small smile._

" _I'm not a star, Scorpius." Astoria said softly._

" _Yes you are," Scorpius stated indignantly. "You're my Mum."_

_Astoria's eyes grew brighter as Draco finally navigated his way through the plants. Astoria seemed to sway on the spot. Draco immediately put an arm around his wife's shoulders and led her to the bench._

" _You really should sit down you know," He said softly. "The Healers said that you shouldn't stand up for long periods of time."_

" _Did you hear what our sweet son just said to me?" Astoria asked him. A soft smile formed across Draco's face._

" _I did," He said fondly. "And I agree with every word. You_ _ **are**_ _a star and it's an outrage that your name isn't on that chart,"_

_Astoria and Scorpius both gave Draco a funny look as if they thought that he was making a joke._

" _It's true," Draco said defensively. "In fact, I feel so strongly about this that I'm going to do something about it."_

_Draco summoned a quill and ink with his wand and took the Star chart and drew a star next to the Draco constellation. He labelled it Astoria._

" _There we go," He said to Scorpius. "Your Mother is now on the Star chart."_

_Scorpius stared at him opened mouthed._

" _But-but that's cheating!" He exclaimed, pointing at Draco. Astoria threw her head back and laughed at the sight of Draco's expression._

" _I thought you wanted your Mother's name on the chart?" Draco asked confusedly. "Is she not a Star, now?"_

" _She is but you can't just draw one on there!" Scorpius exclaimed. "That's vandalism!"_

" _It's the thought that counts, Scorpius," Astoria chuckled, kissing Draco on the cheek and causing Scorpius to screw his face up in disgust and look pointedly away._

" _You know," She continued softly, causing Scorpius to look at her once more. At a closer glance, she looked a little bit sad. "My Grandfather told me once that when we die, we become Stars and look down on the loved ones that we left behind. I like to think that one day, I'll be the brightest one up there, looking down on you."_

_The atmosphere seemed to change as Draco shifted uncomfortably and placed a comforting hand on her knee. Scorpius was oblivious to this and his face lit up. "And I'll be waving up at you!" He said brightly._

" _Glad to hear it," Astoria smiled, her eyes suddenly very bright. "Now how about we get you to bed?"_

" _What would you like to read?" Draco asked, batting away a creeper vine that was snaking around his shoulders and getting up from the bench._

" _Can we read The Tales of Beedle the Bard?" Scorpius asked excitedly._

" _Beedle The Bard it is, then." Draco chuckled as Scorpius followed him._

" _I'll join you in a minute." Astoria told Draco. "I just need to rest for a moment."_

_Scorpius skipped beside Draco requesting The Tale of The Three Brothers followed by Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump. Astoria chuckled as Draco was trying to tell Scorpius that he could only have one story tonight as it was very late and Scorpius needed his sleep. After they went in, Astoria got up and leaned over the balcony, looking up at the night sky._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Roof Garden scene was quite fun to write.
> 
> Next chapter to be up as soon as possible. I just need to edit some things.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's part three ahead of schedule.

January brought some extremely cold weather to Hogwarts. Everyone's breath rose like mist in the corridors and classrooms and a ridged draft rattled the windows. The Dungeons were freezing and during their Potions lessons, they huddled around their Cauldrons for warmth. It wasn't so bad in the Slytherin Common room where the roaring fire kept them warm. The Dormitories, however were as cold as the rest of the Dungeons. If it wasn't for the thick blankets, Scorpius was sure that they would've been frozen solid.

Outside, snow was still falling thick and fast and the Lake froze, allowing Students to skate on the thick ice. Scorpius liked watching them as it reminded him of his Mother. She often liked to skate with his Father. They were very good at it and far better than Scorpius, who felt that he was better off keeping his feet on solid ground.

Scorpius was by a beech tree beside the frozen lake watching a small group of Gryffindors ice skate on a Saturday morning. The group consisted of Albus's Brother and Sister and a couple of his Weasley Cousins.

Rose Granger-Weasley was gracefully skating around her not-so-graceful brother Hugo who was struggling to balance, whilst Albus's Sister, Lily looked as if she were a Butterfly floating above the ice. Albus's Brother, James Potter and Fred Weasley were racing each other at breakneck speeds, no doubt aided by a speed Charm. Scorpius thought that they were skating rather recklessly and could end up falling through the ice. He was so engrossed watching them, he didn't realise that Albus had joined him.

"Show offs," Albus muttered, making Scorpius jump. Albus was frowning at James and Fred who went racing past them with an almighty screech, elbowing each other in a desperate attempt to take the lead.

"Yes, they are showing off a bit," Scorpius agreed." And they seem to be skating a tad bit recklessly. I'm having visions of them falling in the Lake and being rescued by the Giant Squid at this rate."

Albus snorted with laughter.

"That won't put James off," He said. "He'll only want to do it again."

"You don't want to join them then, Albus?" Scorpius asked him. "Spend time with your family?" Albus issued another snort.

"Yeah right," He laughed darkly. "Knowing my luck, I'll probably fall flat on my face and James would laugh himself silly. What about you, though? Don't you want to go skating? You've been spending enough time watching them. You never know, Rose might be impressed." He added with a smirk. Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"I'm not very good on the ice," Scorpius admitted as they walked around the edge of the Lake. "My Mum was though. She used to love going Ice skating with my Dad. I used to love watching them skate together. Sometimes they would dance on the ice and then they would ask me if I wanted to join them. I tried it once, and fell over and Mum laughed. That was before she lost a lot of her strength though. I told you that she used to love the winter. We used to go for walks in the snow on the fields around our Manor and then we'd come back and Mum would make us all Hot Chocolate and she'd put in the most amazing marshmallows that would change colour every time that you would stir them."

"She sounds great, your Mum," Albus said softly.

"She was," Scorpius said sadly. "It was difficult for us when she died. My Dad took it rather hard."

"Have you spoken to him about your Mum?" Albus asked worriedly.

"I don't know where to start," Scorpius said. "It's always been difficult talking with Dad. I made _some_ progress with after Godric's Hollow, but I don't think I'd be able to talk to him about Mum yet. I don't know what to say. I'm not sure Dad even knows what to say. It's been quite painful for him, watching Mum slowly deteriorate and wither away like she did. She used to be so full of energy, but in her final year she didn't even have the strength to walk anymore and she spent the entire summer at St. Mungo's."

"That's terrible," Albus said quietly. It sounded so sincere, that Scorpius couldn't help smiling at him.

"And the day she died, well it's a day that I'm not going to forget in a hurry." Scorpius said, kicking over a small mound of snow.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Albus said hesitantly, a hint of worry in his voice.

"No, it's okay," Scorpius insisted. "I want to get this off my chest. You were the one who said I shouldn't bottle things up, after all."

He shot Albus another smile and took a deep breath, steeling himself.

"I was there when she…Went." He said quietly. "She was in pain, asking for my help, even though I couldn't…"

Albus put a comforting hand on Scorpius's arm. Scorpius took another deep breath.

"Dad came and held her hand as she went," He said. "In the end, she looked at peace. I sat in my room that night, not knowing what to say in the letter that I was going to send you."

"I'm sorry," Albus said.

"It's not your fault," Scorpius replied. "You were my good friend that year when you came to the Funeral. Anyway, that's enough depressing stories for one day. What about you, Albus? Did you do anything special with your parents?"

Albus paused, thinking for a moment.

"I used to go flying regularly with my parents and James and Lily," Albus replied quietly, briefly waving to Lily who called out a greeting to them. "Sometimes Teddy would join us. I remember the five of us used to fly for miles in the countryside when I was younger. I never went as high as Mum, Dad, James and Lily though. I was always the careful one. I stopped James from breaking his neck once. But it's funny. My Mum and Dad were brilliant Quidditch players. My Dad being the youngest player for a century and my Mum played for the Holyhead Harpies and here I am rubbish at Quidditch."

They had moved away from the Lake now and were facing towards the Forbidden Forest. Its trees glittered with snow. Scorpius found the sight to be breathtaking.

"You're not rubbish," Scorpius chided him gently. "You were pretty good when you were helping me practice. I think you just lack interest."

"Yeah," Albus nodded. "That and I don't want to be seen as the second coming of Harry Potter."

"It's a good thing you weren't named Harry junior, then." Scorpius smiled at him. He then started laughing at the look on Albus's face.

" _Never_ call me _that_ again," He said darkly, causing Scorpius to have a fit of the giggles.

"Okay, Harry. I mean Albus." He chuckled. "Definitely Albus. Although you _could_ be Harry if you put on glasses and had a scar like he does. I mean you're the spitting image of him! Well you _are_ his Son I suppose. I know I'm the spitting image of my Dad so I can't talk. No, you're Albus all right. I'm going to shut up now because you look like you're going to curse me and I can't say I blame you. _I_ would probably curse me if I was you and that sounds very weird, doesn't it? Okay shutting up now."

Albus was trying to give him a dirty look, but was failing miserably. He burst out laughing and his laugh was so infectious, Scorpius couldn't help but laugh along with him. They continued laughing together until the wind whipped up causing Scorpius to shiver. Albus stopped laughing and looked at him with concern.

"Scorpius, you're getting cold! Have you _only_ got your cloak on?" He asked exasperatedly.

"My cloak, my scarf and my jumper," Scorpius said proudly. "If my Mum could endure the cold with only a thin coat, then they are good enough for me." He shivered and his teeth started to chatter. Albus shook his head.

"If you keep this up, you'll end up decorating the grounds as a new ice statue." He said dryly. Scorpius laughed again.

"There you are, being all dry and Albus-y again," He chuckled. "It's only a bit of snow. We should make the most of it before it all melts."

"Okay, fine," Albus huffed, pulling his cloak around himself. "If we're not going to go Ice skating, could we at least get back to the Castle? He asked.

Scorpius's expression turned sheepish. It was stupid, really. But it did seem a bit childish, but he couldn't possibly turn down this wonderful opportunity. The problem was just getting Albus to agree to it.

"Um…Well…I err…Don't take this the wrong way and if you think it's a ridiculous idea then I completely understand. I mean I think it might be slightly ridiculous myself but there's so much snow that we couldn't possibly let this moment go to waste- "

"Are you going to spit it out or am I going to have to tickle you?" Albus asked, reaching his hand over to Scorpius who squirmed away and gave him a glare.

"I was thinking of making a snowman," Scorpius said, his teeth starting to chatter "I used to love making them with my Mum. And quite obviously you think it's a ridiculous idea as we're way too old to be fooling around like that."

"I don't think it's ridiculous," Albus said flatly. "In fact, I quite like the idea." Scorpius stared at him wide eyed, unable to believe that Albus was agreeing such a request.

"You do?!" He squeaked, trying very hard not to pinch himself.

"Well, yeah," Albus said rolling his eyes. "It's not that much of a big deal. Teddy and Victoire were making Snowmen at The Burrow on Christmas Day and they're in their early twenties. But I'm not letting you freeze to death, though."

Albus conjured some bluebell flames, which he explained was a tip from Rose. He pocketed them in a Jam jar which he gave to Scorpius. They were quite warming and Scorpius felt the return of the feeling in his fingers and he pressed it close to his chest and felt the warmth spread across his body. The two of them then began digging in the snow to make their snowman.

"I was having a cup of tea with Hagrid earlier," Albus said as he began patting down a large mound of snow.

"He didn't give you any of his Rock Cakes by any chance?" Scorpius asked wearily. "I swear that they're _actually_ made of rocks! I almost broke my tooth on the last one I had."

Albus laughed.

"No, I said I was having that Shepard's Pie for lunch." He said. "Believe it or not, but my Dad says that they were a lot worse in his day. He gave Hagrid a few Cooking tips and _apparently_ Hagrid's cooking has improved."

They both exchanged a look and sniggered for a moment.

"So yeah," Albus continued. I was asking him about his pets and it turns out that his Acromantula, Aragog kept his nest at the site where my Dad gave himself up to Voldemort."

Scorpius jerked his head up.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Albus nodded. "Apparently, the Death Eaters drove the Acromantula out of there at The Battle of Hogwarts. Hagrid got himself captured and he saw my Dad get hit by the Killing Curse. He said that my Dad appeared by the edge of the trees by the entrance to the clearing, so I'm guessing that my Dad dropped the Stone there."

"Is the clearing still abandoned?" Scorpius asked in what he hoped was a perfectly natural voice but failing spectacularly as it came out as a squeak.

"Yeah," Albus replied. "Apparently the Ministry sent what was left of the Acromantula to another part of the Forest. I don't think you'd run into any."

"That's brilliant," Scorpius beamed as relief flooded him. "Your deduction skills are impressive! You know, you would make a cracking Auror, Albus!"

Albus's cheeks turned pink and he gave Scorpius an embarrassed smile.

"Thanks," He said. "I know you'll probably know all of this, you being the big history nerd that you are and all that, but I thought that it would help if we had a general idea of where the Stone could be."

"I didn't know," Scorpius admitted. He paused to levitate a mound of snow with his wand. "I would've found the clearing but I would be stumbling about in the dark, not knowing where to look. Thanks for that. It helps a lot."

They continued to work in the snow and slowly but surely, their snowman was taking shape. They passed the flames between them. Albus got impatient building their snowman the Muggle way, so ended up charming the snow around them to clump together and in no time at all, their snowman stood over them seven feet tall. Scorpius was amazed at the height. Albus took off his hat and scarf and levitated it on to the snowman's head.

"I remember building snowmen with my Dad," Albus said. "Before things started getting awkward between us. Things are better now, but somehow I think I'm too old to build snowmen with him now."

"You're _never_ too old to have fun, Albus." Scorpius said. "You should cherish these moments while you can."

"Yeah," Albus sighed. "If I could play a game of Exploding Snap with my Dad, then I'm sure I could build a Snowman with him again."

"And you could name that one Harry Junior," Scorpius grinned.

Albus groaned and bent down in the snow to gather up a large snowball which he threw at Scorpius. it hit him squarely in the stomach and knocking the jar of bluebell flames out of his hands and causing him to topple over in surprise. Scorpius bounced up as Albus threw four more snowballs at him, causing Scorpius to jump out of the way, flailing his hands in the air in the process.

Scorpius retaliated, by throwing a snowball at Albus and soon, the air was full of snowballs as Scorpius and Albus were in the thick of a furious snowball fight. Far too soon for Scorpius's liking, they picked up the flames and both traipsed back to the Castle, soaking wet, red faced and breathless with laughter.

It never failed to amaze Scorpius at how lucky he was in having Albus as a best friend. One moment, he was talking to him about his Mum dying and next, they were laughing together and building snowmen and throwing snowballs at each other. He remembered a time before Hogwarts where he sometimes felt lonely despite growing with his parents. But Albus was everything that he had wanted in a friend and for that, he was eternally grateful.

* * *

_The sound of Ice skates on ice echoed around the frozen lake as Scorpius sat by the lakeside, wearing thick coat buttoned up to his neck, watching his parents Skating across the ice. He wished that he was as good as they were, but unfortunately, he found that he wasn't as good on his feet and kept falling over when unprepared. His previous experiences on the ice had put him off, so he sat there and watched them on the edge with his three tiny snowman friends that he had made._

_He had decided to call one Harry as he had spent his time giving it stone circles for the eyes and had drawn him a lightning bolt scar to match. Feeling that it would be wrong to not give Harry a friend, he had made another one calling it Ron. He gave him a carrot for its nose and then felt that it would be wrong for Harry and Ron to be alone, so he created a third one called Hermione and placed a Willow tree branch in its head, giving it a bushy haired appearance. They weren't much, but they kept him company as his parents were Ice Skating._

_He watched as his Dad twirled his Mum on the ice and she spun so elegantly, that it was breath taking to watch. Scorpius started clapping and Draco and Astoria both looked pleased with themselves._

" _Do it again!" He called. Draco and Astoria both laughed._

" _I think I might get a little bit dizzy If I do that again," Astoria chuckled. "Are you sure that you don't want to join us this time? It's quite fun you know."_

" _I'll only fall over again," Scorpius said sadly. "I can't balance like you and Dad can."_

" _What is it that I've always said?" Astoria asked, as she skated over to him._

" _Practice makes perfect," Scorpius recited dully._

" _Exactly," Astoria beamed. "I've fallen over plenty of times in the past, but I've gotten back up. It's how you learn. Maybe tomorrow, we can go skating again and this time, you'll be joining us."_

" _What are those?" Draco asked, skating over and looking at the snowmen._

" _My friends," Scorpius replied. "This is Harry, and this is Ron and the last one is Hermione." He pointed to each one as he spoke. Something peculiar flickered in Draco's eyes and a playful smile formed across his face._

" _I think you've got Ron just right," Draco said dryly, admiring the large carrot that was used for the nose. "It's the spitting image of the real thing." Scorpius giggled and Astoria shot him a sharp look._

" _Draco, be nice," She warned sternly. Draco threw his hands up defensively._

" _I was," He said. " I was just noting that Scorpius had done a good job on getting them to look accurate."_

_His smile changed into a smirk, causing Astoria to roll her eyes at him._

" _You're impossible," She sighed as a cold wind blew across the frozen lake, causing the three of them to shiver._

" _It's getting colder," Astoria said, pulling her coat around her "How about we go inside for some Hot Chocolate?" Scorpius shook his head._

" _I want to watch you and Dad on the ice again," Scorpius insisted, giving Astoria a puppy eyed look. "_ _ **Please!**_ _I like watching you and Dad Ice Skate."_

_Astoria turned to Draco, a small smile on her lips._

" _What do you say, Draco dear?" She asked him. "Shall we put on a show?"_

" _I thought you'd never ask," Draco smirked, extending his hand out to her. "May I have this dance, Mrs. Malfoy?" he asked in a mock posh accent, causing Astoria to laugh._

" _Why of course, good sir," She chuckled._

_Astoria took his hand gracefully and they both skated to the centre of the lake. Scorpius was mesmerised by them as they moved as one across the ice, their movements synched together perfectly. Scorpius noted the looks of contentment on their faces as they had eyes for no one but each other. Draco was gazing down at Astoria with tenderness as he gently led her across the ice. As they continued to skate on the ice, a fresh flurry of snow began to fall, settling in their hair._

_Scorpius remained by the edge of the lake with his three snowmen, watching his parents skate once more, his fingers fiddling with the brass buttons on his thick coat. His parents looked so happy as they skated and Scorpius wondered if he would ever meet someone who would be as special to him as his Parents were to each other._

_He looked down at his snowmen. What he needed, was a friend of his own. A real friend, not an inanimate object or an imaginary friend. He had given up having imaginary friends after falling out with Flurry over the rules of Gobstones. The memory was still painful for him._

_He needed a friend like Harry Potter had. The real Harry Potter, not his snowman duplicate. Perhaps, when he starts Hogwarts in a few years' time, he could find one and they could go on all sorts of adventures like Harry Potter and his friends did. But then, he remembered with a pang that he was a Malfoy and the rumoured son of Voldemort and kids his age wouldn't be exactly queuing up to be his friend. He would just have to make to with the company of his snowmen and his parents, who seemed to be forgetting that they were supposed to be ice skating and were currently wrapped up in a kiss in the middle of the lake._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will be moving on in the next chapter, hopefully to be published next week.
> 
> I also wish to credit the ever so fabulous Torestoreamends, for giving me the inspiration to add the ice skating segment in this chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's part four. I had to edit this chapter a bit as I wasn't too happy with the first draft.

Where was Albus? It was Monday lunchtime and Scorpius was waiting _ages_ for him at the Slytherin Table. He was so worried about Albus, that his Soup was getting cold.

His mind kept going over all the horrible things that might've happened to him. Perhaps Albus had ran afoul of Peeves the Poltergeist and was forced to set his underpants on fire in order to pass. Or he could've forgot to jump the trick step in a secret passage somewhere and was stuck where no one could find him. The worst thing was that he could've come across some bullies and they left him lying in the corridor in a bloody, lifeless heap.

Scorpius couldn't take it anymore. Albus was taking far too long. He only said that he'd be a minute and it was now thirty. There was nothing else for it; He would have to scour the Castle for Albus.

Pushing back his half-eaten bowl of soup, Scorpius got up and left the Slytherin table just as James, Lily and Rose Granger-Weasley were leaving the Gryffindor table. As they reached the Entrance Hall, Rose saw Scorpius and he gave her a hopeful smile which she responded with a cold look, before speeding up and marching away. Scorpius's spirits fell. Try as he might, he was yet to have a proper conversation with Rose. Perhaps if he were lucky, he would manage it in the Seventh Year.

Lily, who noticed Rose's cold behaviour toward Scorpius, gave him a wave and a radiant smile whilst James nodded at him and beckoned him over. Scorpius made his way over to them, feeling far more aware of his feet than usual.

"Hey, it's The Scorpion King!" James cried cheerily as Scorpius wandered over. Scorpius winced at the sound of his nickname in that alternative timeline where James, Albus and Lily didn't exist. "How's it going, mate?" James asked, shaking Scorpius's hand.

"Err fine, I think." Scorpius said awkwardly. "And dandy. Mostly fine but with a touch of dandy. So yes, fine and dandy. Uh… How are you?"

"Glad to hear it," James said, clapping him on the back and almost knocking him over. "And I'm fine and dandy as well, thanks. Where's your sidekick? Not trying to turn time _, again_ is he?"

"What?" Scorpius laughed. "Of course not!"

"He's lost his touch," James grinned. "You don't still have that Time-Turner by any chance?"

"Err no," Scorpius said awkwardly. "My Dad dismantled it."

"That's a shame," James sighed "I would've loved to have used it to catch up on the Quidditch."

Lily put a hand to her mouth as she stifled her giggle.

"Quidditch?" Scorpius asked confusedly.

"Of course!" James exclaimed. "Think about it. If I had a Time-Turner, I could go back and watch some the best games over and over again! I've always wanted to see my Dads first Quidditch Match. The one where he almost swallowed that Snitch. He's still got that Snitch in his Study back home. Apparently, it used to have something in it."

Scorpius's heart beat quickened, remembering coming across a theory in a book that he had read.

"Like a small, black Stone?" He asked in what he hoped was a casual sort of voice. James shrugged.

"Dunno," He said. "Could be. It used to have _something_ in it but no one's told us what. It's also got this weird writing on it. _I open at the close._ I remember spending a day with Fred trying to find the close, but no luck. But never mind that. Think about all the mischief making opportunities that would await you with a Time-Turner!"

Scorpius shifted his feel uncomfortably. All of this Time-Tuner talk was making him feel uneasy. Time-turning with one Potter was enough. _More_ than enough.

"Err… You're not aware of Croaker's Law, by any chance?" He asked.

"Rules are made to be broken," James said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "As _you_ very well know."

"James, stop being an idiot and leave him alone," Lily sighed before turning to Scorpius. "I like your snowman, by the way." She smiled. "I hope you don't mind, but I added some shells for the buttons and Hugo found some pebbles for the mouth."

"And Fred had a spare Beater's Bat and we used that for his conk," James chipped in.

" _James_!" Lily giggled.

"Then Rose had two Quaffles and we used them for his eyes." James continued. "He's got red eyes, by the way. Sorry about that. I wanted to call him Voldy but Lily named him Egbert. Sadly, I was outvoted."

"Thanks for that," Scorpius chuckled. "I don't mind at all. Egbert the snowman. Cracking name."

James and Lily both laughed.

"How's Care of Magical Creatures?" Scorpius asked Lily. "Are you enjoying it?"

"Yeah, it's great!" Lily beamed. "Hagrid's been getting out the flaming Salamanders because it's been so cold and we've spent the lessons putting twigs on the fires to keep us warm."

Lily had a great interest in Care of Magical Creatures and over the summer, she and Scorpius bonded over the subject. Scorpius was glad that he became friends with Lily, because it meant that James warmed up to him as well. Scorpius didn't mind James. He actually found him to be quite funny and had laughed at quite a few of his jokes over the summer, much to Albus's irritation.

Scorpius continued chatting to James and Lily before Albus came running down the marble staircase out of breath and hair slightly ruffled. Scorpius felt a huge feeling of relief knowing that he didn't have to scour the Castle for Albus. On closer inspection, Scorpius noted that he was acting rather strange. He looked quite angry and he was holding his bag a little too close to himself and he eyed James wearily. James seemed oblivious however as he greeted him warmly.

"Alright little man?" James grinned at Albus before placing him in a headlock and ruffling his hair.

"James, geroff me!" Albus snarled as he wiggled free. His hair was messier than normal as he glared at James.

"Your hair's a mess," James smirked causing Albus's lip to curl as he continued staring dangerously at James. Scorpius was surprised that James stood there so calmly. If Albus was looking at _him_ like that, he would probably run away from him as fast as he could.

"And you're a git," Albus shot back at him. "And you're not even funny."

"I love you too, little brother." James sighed dramatically. "Cool snowman, by the way. We _improved_ it." He finished with a mischievous grin.

"If you've knocked it down," Albus began dangerously before Lily cut across him.

"We've only added a face, Al" She said imploringly. "And Rose charmed it so no one _could_ knock it down."

"Although Karl Jenkins tried after you left but we stopped him," James said grimly. "Little gits in the Hospital Wing at the moment with antlers growing out his ears. I take credit for that." He finished proudly.

James and Albus locked eyes and something significant seemed to pass between both Brothers. Albus looked a little less tense and to Scorpius's surprise, was smiling at James.

"Thanks," Albus nodded at James.

"Don't mention it," James said gruffly, patting him on the arm. "It was good to see you two having fun, for once. We were watching your snowball fight as well. It brought back a lot of memories, didn't it, Lily? Remember when we had that huge snowball fight with Mum and Dad?"

"I remember," Lily said happily. "James broke Dads glasses."

"And then Dad spent the entire day pretending to be mad at James even though he repaired them with his wand!" Albus laughed.

"And then Mum threw a snowball at him and he went and locked himself in the kitchen for the night, sulking!" James grinned.

James, Albus and Lily continued to reminisce about the times that they spent with their parents. Albus laughed along with the other two. Despite feeling left out, Scorpius tried to laugh with the other three but he didn't feel that he should be involved in this conversation. This seemed more of a Potter Sibling thing and he felt like he was intruding.

"Remember when Scorpius first came to our House?" Lily asked suddenly. "I swear Mum wanted to adopt him!"

Scorpius's cheeks went pink as James and Albus laughed. Albus was giving him a big grin.

"Yeah!" James chuckled. "And when he first saw Dad, he looked like a Goldfish!"

Albus and Lily laughed as James did an impression of Scorpius opening and closing his mouth. Scorpius laughed along with them.

"That's pretty accurate," Albus grinned. Scorpius glared at him as the bell rang.

"I miss the good old days," James sighed wistfully. "When we used to have fun, and didn't have to worry about our futures. But time flies when you're having fun. Now look at us. I'm revising for my NEWTs , you two are revising for your O.W.L.s and this time next year, I won't even be at Hogwarts. I remember like it was yesterday when I came through the front doors for the first time. Make the most of while you can, lads. It goes by very quickly. You too, Lily. Well, time for Herbology. I think I'm just going to walk in nice and casually, and give Professor Longbottom some _love_."

"Good luck with that," Lily giggled.

James patted Albus on the shoulder and shook Scorpius's hand before moving away and glancing back over his shoulder at Albus, a mischievous grin on his face.

" _Slythering Slytherin, always a dithering, why don't you get to class?_ " He recited. Albus responded with a rude hand gesture that Scorpius was definitely certain that he _never_ get away with in front of his Mother. Lily, however rolled her eyes and walked up to James and hit him in the arm.

" _Ow!_ What was that for?" James moaned, massaging his arm.

"For being a git," Lily said simply.

James grumbled under his breath about Sisters as he headed out to the Greenhouses.

"Well time to fall asleep in History of Magic," Lily sighed. "I'll let Hugo take my notes. I was up fairly late completing this horrible Potions essay. It was nice seeing you two by the way. Take care."

She smiled at Scorpius and hugged Albus before wandering off up the marble staircase. The moment she was out of earshot, Scorpius rounded on Albus.

"Albus, where on Earth have you been?" He asked worriedly. "You've missed lunch! I was worried sick! It wasn't the bullies, was it? Did they get you? Are you hurt?"

Albus clutched his bag tighter and looked around nervously.

"I'm fine," He muttered quietly. "Look, I'll tell you later, alright? Too many people here. I don't want to be overheard."

Scorpius's curiosity grew. Why was Albus acting so suspicious?

"Are you at least going to give me a hint?" Scorpius asked. "What's in your bag? Why did you look so nervous when you saw James?"

"I'll tell you later," Albus said sharply, causing Scorpius to frown at him. Albus took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair.

"Look, I'm sorry" He sighed. "But now's not the time. I promise I'll tell you later when no one can overhear us, okay?"

"Yes, I think that that would be sufficient," Scorpius said. "But you owe me an explanation as to why you were missing. I was so worried, I didn't eat all my Lunch."

"Sorry about that," Albus said with a smile. "I promise I'll tell you later. C'mon. We'll be late for Divination. With any luck, Trelawney won't be predicting my death this time."

* * *

Professor Trelawney it turned out, predicted that Albus would freeze to death, causing him to be surly for the rest of the day. Scorpius tried to cheer him up by pointing out that they were all in danger of freezing to death as it was so cold outside. However, Albus remained grumpy and was even more so, when they were given so much Transfiguration homework that afternoon. They were forced to spend all evening completing it, making Albus downright unpleasant.

By the time Scorpius went to bed, he was exhausted and his patience was wearing thin. The homework had been difficult enough, but what made it harder, was doing it next to a permanently petulant Albus who spent the night muttering, sighing, snapping and crossing thing out. It had taken all of Scorpius's self-restraint to avoid snapping back at Albus as he knew that Albus didn't mean any of it.

The one thing that irked Scorpius about Albus was his tendency to believe that he was going to fail all the time. He had actually done well in Transfiguration despite his bad temper, successfully vanishing all of his snails and then moving onto mice.

"I'm _so_ glad today's over," Albus sighed in relief as he flopped onto his bed fully clothed. "My brain has seized up and my hand feels like it's going to drop off."

"You did well today, Albus." Scorpius said tiredly, trying to inject some positivity into the situation. "You should be pleased." He added, shooting him a small smile.

" _Pleased?_ " Albus scoffed. "It was a _nightmare_. I swear Transfiguration will be the death of me."

"But you did really well." Scorpius insisted as he changed into his pyjamas. "You were just struggling with the theory."

"I was _rubbish_ ," Albus moaned, his cheeks reddening slightly. "I hate vanishing stuff. I think I've got a mental block on it or something."

"Practice makes perfect, Albus." Scorpius sang. "That's what my Mum always said. Anyway, you vanished all your snails today and did really well vanishing your mice, too. You only left their tails."

"It was probably a fluke or something," Albus muttered, cheeks turning even redder. He always became bashful whenever Scorpius praised him. Scorpius was irritated at first, but then started to enjoy the affect he had on Albus whenever he complimented him. He decided to compliment him often just to see Albus's bashful side. It was also the first step in cheering Albus up. "I'm just glad I didn't blow my desk up like I did in the First Year."

"Dismiss it if you will, Albus Severus Potter. But you are becoming quite a Transfiguration terror." Scorpius grinned at him. Albus gave him an embarrassed grimace, face as red as a Quaffle.

"Yeah, even _you_ admit that I'm terrible," Albus scowled, looking even more miserable than before.

Scorpius knew that he would have to resort to humour to cheer Albus up.

"Yes, I am rather good at Transfiguration," He said, thinking quickly. "I also happen to be very good at turning frowns upside down. Maybe I should practice on you?"

Albus sat up and looked at him as if he were mad.

"What are you going on about now?" He asked tiredly.

"Turning frowns into smiles, Albus," Scorpius said. "That's Transfiguration, isn't it? I've always been good at that sort of thing. Come on, cheer up. Turn that frown upside down."

The smallest of smiles appeared at the corner of Albus's mouth. It was tiny, but Scorpius saw it and he could've jumped for joy.

"Is that a smile, I see?" He asked excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet and pointing at Albus's mouth. "It is! It's an Albus-y smile! It worked!"

"You are the biggest _nerd_ I have ever met and that was the nerdiest thing I heard you say," Albus said fondly, the small smile turning into a big grin.

"I _told_ you I was good at that sort of thing," Scorpius said smugly, ridiculously puffing his chest out, causing Albus to laugh; A proper laugh. The sound was a great relief for Scorpius. Albus looked much happier than he was a moment ago, but he still looked tired and disheveled and his hair was sticking up all over the place. He looked like he was in a desperate need for a hug, which Scorpius was more than willing to do. He approached Albus and wrapped his arms around him. Albus melted into the hug.

"What was that for?" Albus mumbled into Scorpius's shoulder.

"Because I thought you really needed a hug at the moment," Scorpius said truthfully, causing Albus to hug him tighter before pulling away.

"Yeah, I did," Albus said gratefully. "Listen, I'm sorry for being such a moody git all day. You're so brilliant putting up with me and everything."

"Everyone has their good days and bad days, Albus," Scorpius said wisely, causing Albus to smile at him.

"You were probably wondering why I was acting weirdly in front of James, right?" Albus asked.

"I might have done," Scorpius said, as he put his robes away with a flick of his wand. The mystery of what Albus had in his bag was bugging Scorpius all day.

"Well, I snuck into Gryffindor Tower to nick James's Invisibility Cloak."

Scorpius's head jerked up.

"You what?" He asked, hardly believing what he was hearing.

"Yeah," Albus said, looking glum again. "Only, I got caught by Hugo."

"It's alright," He added hastily, catching the look on Scorpius's face. "I managed to persuade him not to tell anyone."

"Okay, two questions," Scorpius said, wanting to clear some things up. "One: How did you even manage to get in there? And Two: Why in the name of Bathilda Bagshot did you steal James's Cloak in the first place?"

Albus gave Scorpius a sheepish smile.

"The thing about Gryffindors, is that they wear their hearts on their sleeves," He said. "And they're not very discreet. I had to hide behind a suit of Armour as they gave the Fat Lady the password. Once I had the Password, the Fat Lady let me in."

"And the answer to my second question?" Scorpius pressed him.

"I nicked James's Cloak so you could use it," Albus said. "So you can search for the Stone. I'll worry about you otherwise, in case you get caught or something."

Scorpius stared at him, lost for words.

"You really are full of surprises," He said finally. "You got the Cloak for _me_?"

Albus grinned at him.

"Yeah," He said. "I take it that you want to see it?"

"After you went to all that trouble getting it I think that would be the wisest course of action," Scorpius said.

Albus gave him one of his soft smiles and opened his bag and took out the silvery Cloak. He handed it over to Scorpius who took it gently and let it slide between his fingers. It felt as if water was woven in it. It was a very peculiar feeling. He threw it over his shoulders and looked down before letting out a gasp.

"By Dumbledore! It actually works!" He exclaimed, looking at his feet and not seeing them.

"Of course it works!" Albus laughed. "We used it in the Library last year to get away from McGonagall, remember?"

"After everything else that happened, that moment was quite a blur," Scorpius admitted, taking off the Cloak as an idea shot through him.

"Albus," He said excitedly. "We can go anywhere with this Cloak! Just think, we could spend the entire weekend in the Library with this thing. I've always wanted to visit the Restricted Section!"

Albus burst out laughing.

"I should've known that going to the Library would've been the first thought on your mind after being given an Invisibility Cloak," He chuckled fondly.

"Well maybe we can do that after I find the Stone," Scorpius said thoughtfully.

"Look after it, yeah?" Albus said seriously. "It's been in my family for ages and my Dad and James would probably _kill_ me if anything happened to it."

"Of course I will, Albus," Scorpius said earnestly. Albus surprised him by pulling him into another hug.

"Oh, hello," Scorpius squeaked, patting him on the back. "So I'm getting a hug as _well_ as an Invisibility Cloak now, am I? It's my lucky day."

"You deserve it," Albus said seriously.

The fact that Albus gave him the Cloak, meant so much to Scorpius. The idea of letting down Albus was a terrible thought and he placed the Cloak safely at the bottom of his Trunk after untangling himself from Albus.

By the time he had finished in the bathroom, Albus had changed into his pyjamas and was snoring on his bed with the covers pulled back. Scorpius let out a soft laugh and noted how peaceful Albus looked when he was sleeping. As if all his troubles melted away.

After a moment's hesitation, Scorpius tiptoed across the Dormitory and lifted Albus's covers up and gently pulled them over him. Scorpius usually caught a lot of girls staring at Albus during the day. He was actually quite handsome, even though he tried to deny and it. If Albus put his mind to it, Scorpius was sure that he could've had any girl he wanted. Yet he always remained at Scorpius's side being his good friend.

Scorpius thought that it was probably quite weird for him to be standing over Albus and staring at him like that. Because he could, he brushed a strand of hair from Albus's eyes.

"Goodnight, Albus," He whispered tiptoeing to his bed, missing the small smile that crept across Albus's mouth as he slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Scorpius has been given the Invisibility Cloak. I'm going to have to discontinue the Astoria flashbacks. I needed them to set up the story in the first three chapters, but as I'm moving the plot along, I no longer need them.
> 
> At the moment, I estimate that I've almost finished this thing with only two more chapters to write. There may be longer delays between chapters.
> 
> Thanks for bearing with me.


	5. Chapter 5

The cold weather got worse for the next two days and Scorpius was sure that it was getting even colder. Snow continued to fall thick and fast and Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures lessons were relocated to Classrooms on the ground floor.

Meanwhile, rumours of a large Blizzard heading to Hogwarts were confirmed when several, stressed looking Ministry Officials were seen rushing about the Castle, including Albus's Uncle, Percy Weasley who was giving an irate looking Filch the Caretaker a long lecture about the proper precautions on Fireplace safety which was drowned out by James Potter and Fred Weasley who were pretending to snore very loudly, causing a chorus of laughter from the onlooking Students as Percy bellowed himself hoarse at the pair and allowing Filch to sneak away.

Filch was also making himself very busy by boarding up things from large windows to small cracks and had to chase off Peeves the Poltergeist who was caught writing rude words on one of the boarded up Windows whilst outside, Egbert the Snowman continued standing despite the strong winds and Scorpius watched Hagrid giving him tree branches for arms whilst tiny Professor Flitwick was seen enchanting him, so that he flashed the colours of the Hogwarts Houses.

Madam Hooch announced at Breakfast on Thursday that all Quidditch practices were cancelled due to the extremely cold weather. The Gryffindor Table was in uproar and it took several fire crackers exploding from Professor McGonagall's wand to calm them down.

Meanwhile in the Castle, Students wore their cloaks and scarfs in the corridors and to lessons and the teachers didn't bother telling them off as they too were bundled up in thick cloaks. Professor Flitwick taught his classes the Bluebell flame Charm and Scorpius and Albus spent the lesson conjuring the flames. Professor Flitwick passed their desk and began praising them on their work and telling them how impressive their snowman was, before passing a small box of Pepper Imps to them at the end of the lesson.

Scorpius and Albus were huddled together in a far corner of the Library early on Friday morning, around a Jar of bluebell flames and were working on a long Potions essay. Scorpius was quite glad he had Albus helping him as he had a natural talent for Potions and having Albus at his side made completing the essay much faster.

Scorpius's mind wasn't on the Potions Essay however.

He had been constantly dwelling on the Resurrection Stone now that he had the Invisibility Cloak that was currently folded neatly at the bottom of his trunk. He also had the map of the Forbidden Forest so finding the clearing shouldn't be too hard and he was sure that the Blizzard wasn't due until tomorrow. He was tired of waiting: He was going to search for the Stone tonight.

"I'm going to do it," He said aloud with determination.

"Well you _could,_ " Albus muttered. "But it would be very risky. At these temperatures, the whole thing's more likely to combust. It's just not worth it."

"Wait," Scorpius said, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Albus jerked his head up irritably. "What are _you_ talking about?" He asked, eyebrows raised.

They both looked at each other briefly before Scorpius took a deep breath.

"I was saying that I'm going to do it. Tonight. I'm going into the Forest to search for the Resurrection Stone." Albus's eyebrows shot down into a frown.

"Scorpius," He began but Scorpius, fed up of Albus's objections, interrupted him.

"You can't stop me, Albus." He snapped, jumping to his feet, feeling as if a dam had burst in his chest. "I've got the Invisibility Cloak and I've got the map of the Forest and I'm going there. Tonight. I don't want to hear any more of your excuses. I swear sometimes that you make these things up just to talk me out of doing this! But it's not going to work this time! I'm going out to the Forest whether you like it or not. I've been putting this off for as long as I can. It's alright for you. You've never lost anyone. You have your Parents and siblings and countless Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. Everything's perfect for you and you've made up with your Dad. Me? I'm _still_ the Son of Voldemort to some people here. I have a Dad who is so wrapped up in his own grief, that can't see that his only son is also suffering, also grieving! It's like talking to a brick wall sometimes. I just want to see my Mum again. It's not like I'm trying to change time to get her back. I'm going there tonight and there's nothing you can say or do that would stop me!"

He was pouring out every bitter thought that he had kept bottled up since the events of last year and his heart was racing and he was breathing very fast. Albus was looking at him intently. His brilliant green eyes sparkling with a mixture of concern and pity.

"I'm coming with you, Scorpius." Albus said quietly.

"What?" Scorpius asked, dumbfounded. "You don't have to. I can do it on my own. I know where to look for the Stone. How hard can it be?"

"Scorpius, listen to me," Albus said calmly, standing up slowly and placing his hands on Scorpius's shoulders. "I'm coming with you. You're not doing this alone. Do you really think that I'll be able to wait for you while you're out there? I'll drive myself crazy with worry. Besides, it won't be fair. You could've just stayed on the Train, last year. You didn't have to follow me when I set out to save Cedric. You could've stayed, and if you did, chances are Voldemort would probably be ruling the world, now and I wouldn't exist as my Dad would've been dead. I-I owe you my life, Scorpius. If there is anyone in this world who deserves to find the Stone, then it would be you. I told you once that you're kind, to the depths of your belly, to the tips of your fingers. You're also selfless, and brave."

"Albus," Scorpius muttered quietly, feeling mildly embarrassed. "That's a really nice thing to say."

"But you are!" Albus said fiercely. "You could've stayed in that timeline where you were popular but you didn't. Your heart is.. it's pure, Scorpius. Purer than most people's. Purer than the snow. You spend all your time giving and not once have you asked for anything in return. You're patient and smart and brilliant and everything that… I know it's rubbish, what happened to your Mum, but I want to help you so please let me. Besides, with two of us we would be able to search more quickly and we're better together than apart."

Silence followed Albus's speech and felt as if Butterflies were bouncing around his stomach.

"That was probably the nicest thing that anyone's ever said to me," He mumbled, feeling very embarrassed all of a sudden. He was pretty sure that his cheeks had turned pink as well. He cleared his throat.

"So…umm…You're coming with me to the Forest, are you?" He asked.

"Yeah," Albus said, still staring at him intently. "Whether you like it or not."

"Okay," Scorpius sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's pretty obvious that I can't talk you out it and truthfully, I would welcome your help. "

He felt quite embarrassed and quite ashamed of his behaviour now that he had calmed down a bit.

"I'm sorry about earlier," He said. "I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"It's fine," Albus said at once. "I don't mind."

Scorpius grinned at Albus sheepishly, and Albus grinned back.

"So," Scorpius said tentatively. "Friends?"

Albus looked him, green eyes glinting a mixture of determination, mischief and affection. " _Always_ ," He said firmly.

* * *

They had just left the Library and were heading back to The Slytherin Common Room when a shrill voice rang out behind them making them both jump.

"I can't _believe_ how irresponsible you two are!"

They both wheeled on the spot to find Rose Granger-Weasley rushing towards them bundled up in her red and gold Scarf with a pile of books in her arms and a disapproving scowl on her face.

"Hello, Rose." Scorpius said cheerfully. "You're looking lovely today. Like a flower opening at Spring. Not that it _is_ Spring, but you can brighten up the coldest winters day. Lovely day, isn't it? A tad bit cold but rather enjoyable, don't you think? I'm getting used to the ice in the Corridors. I haven't slipped over once. I'm not as brilliant as you are on the ice but it's certainly something. I like what you did with Egbert by the way. It was very- "

"How could you even _think_ of sneaking out at night?" Rose snapped, cutting Scorpius off. "During a Blizzard! Don't you even _care_ about the consequences of your actions?"

"Can we _help_ you with something?" Albus asked irritably.

" _Yes_! You _can_ help me!" Rose said, flaring up at once as she rounded on Albus who seemed unnerved about her temper. "You can explain to me why you are sneaking out at night in a Blizzard, chasing myths!"

"We're not ' _chasing myths' as_ you put it!" Albus snapped.

"You're sneaking out to search for The Resurrection Stone!" Rose shrieked hysterically. "I heard you just now in The Library! You know very well that The Stone doesn't exist."

"Are you sure about that?" Albus asked with the faintest sneer. Rose swelled up like a Bullfrog.

"Oh, use your intelligence, Albus," She snapped. "I know that it might be hard for you, but do try."

Albus's expression darkened in response to the low blow and despite the cold, Scorpius could feel the chill emanating from him. Rose ploughed on regardless.

"It's a myth. There is not a shred of evidence that it exists. You're just going to go into the Forest for nothing, on the night of the most dangerous Blizzard in centuries. It's a very dangerous thing to do, and quite frankly it's not worth dying for."

"The Blizzard's tonight?" Scorpius asked confusedly. "I thought that it was tomorrow?"

" _No,_ Breadboy," Rose said in a long suffering voice and closing her eyes, looking as if she wanted to apparate away. "It's tonight. So might I suggest that you stay in your Dormitory? What you're planning is really stupid."

"And it's really none of your business." Albus said shortly. "C'mon, Scorpius."

Albus stormed away from his Cousin leaving Scorpius standing there with a very bad tempered looking Rose who looked as if she were going to hex him. Scorpius gave her small smile and ran after Albus, leaving Rose standing there looking extremely irritated.

* * *

Rose kept an eye on them during lunch. Scorpius watched her shooting them suspicious glances from The Gryffindor Table and was watching them so intently, she didn't notice that Lily was trying to engage her in conversation. Normally, Scorpius would've been thrilled to have Rose watching him like that but after their encounter this morning, he felt downright uneasy.

Albus was in a foul mood after his exchange with her and was repeatedly stabbing his Carrots, his face set in a scowl. Scorpius toyed with his Stew apprehensively, feeling as if his stomach was tied up in knots. Perhaps it was a bad idea, searching for The Stone tonight. Albus probably wouldn't want to come now after his argument with Rose. Screwing up all his courage, he took a deep breath.

"Albus?" He said timidly, feeling as if he were about to tickle a Dragon. Albus stopped stabbing his Carrots and looked up, a concerned expression on his face.

"Do you think we should do it tonight?" Scorpius asked worriedly. "Maybe we could search for it another night when Rose doesn't suspect anything."

Albus's expression softened.

"Don't worry about my Cousin," He said. "She's always poking her nose into things that are none of her business. We're doing it tonight. You've been wanting to do this for quite a while, now."

Albus had a determined glint in his eye and Scorpius knew that he couldn't talk him out of it. However, there was one thing that was still worrying him.

"What about the Blizzard, though?" Scorpius asked. "We probably shouldn't do this if there's a gigantic Blizzard coming."

"Don't listen to Rose," Albus said. "She was only saying that to talk us out of it."

"You're right," Scorpius said, feeling rather determined himself. "We are _definitely_ doing this tonight. You know can be quite a bad influence on me, but I wouldn't trade you for the world."

Albus laughed.

"We've got The Cloak," He said. "We'll be fine."

The Invisibility Cloak; Albus never mentioned how he got out of trouble after Hugo caught him in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Albus, there's something I've been meaning to know. How exactly _did_ you persuade Hugo not to tell anyone when he caught you stealing the Cloak?" Scorpius asked curiously.

"By offering to help him with his Potions Homework," Albus grumbled, returning to stabbing his Carrots. "He was quite keen on the idea. Seems to think I'm an _expert._ "

Scorpius couldn't help laughing at Albus's grumpy expression.

* * *

The day progressed as normal without any further interventions from Rose. Scorpius felt as if his stomach was full of Butterflies and found his concentration waning during lessons. He was glad that Albus was helping him during Potions. He was sure that without Albus's help, his Cauldron would've exploded. It was after dinner and Albus and Scorpius were making their way back to The Slytherin Common Room when a familiar voice made them jump again.

"If you two are sneaking out tonight, I'll tell Professor McGonagall."

It was Rose. She was sitting on the plinth of a suit of armour and was wrestling a huge Rune Dictionary back in her bag which split causing its contents to spill all over the floor. Scorpius bent down to pick up some books, but they zoomed into Rose's hand.

"I don't _need_ your help!" She snapped at Scorpius as she repaired her bag with a tap of her wand and stuffed her books in it. Albus scowled at her.

"You know, when someone tries to help you when your bag splits, you usually say thank you afterwards," Albus said coolly.

" _Yes, thank you,_ " Rose sighed. "But you're not getting out of this easily. If you two are sneaking out, I'll tell Professor McGonagall."

"What, you're going to _tell_ on us?" Albus asked incredulously. "This is none of your business!"

"I _mean_ it, Albus!" Rose snapped, springing to her feet. "If you insist on sneaking out, I'll tell! Professor McGonagall can put a stop to this."

"Oh, So you want to get us _expelled_ , now?" Albus spat. Rose looked incensed.

"No I don't," She said, sounding hurt. "I just don't want you two sneaking off and going missing again. There's a Blizzard on its way for Merlin's sake, Albus! Don't you care about your own safety?"

Albus was about to retort when Scorpius, sick of their bickering, cut across him.

"Rose, you've obviously gathered that we're searching for The Resurrection Stone, but the real reason we're searching for it is so that I can see my Mum again. She's been dead for two years now and I miss her."

There was a brief silence and Rose shifted her feet uncomfortably. Scorpius wondered if he had finally got through to her.

"Look," She said in a voice of determined calm. "I'm very sorry about your Mum, but there's nothing you can do. The Stone's a myth. There were rumours that my Uncle _may_ have used it during The Battle of Hogwarts but they are just that: _rumours_."

"Not everyone needs a book shoving under their noses to tell us what's real or not, Rose." Albus scoffed, heading to the Dungeons.

" _Oh for heaven's sake, Albus_!" Rose stormed, following Albus and Scorpius to The Dungeons. "Why do you have to be so _stubborn_?! You wander off without a care in the world and you don't even stop to consider what your family is going through in your absence. You have no idea how it was for me last year, worrying about you two when that _awful_ woman kidnapped you! You have no idea how it was for your Brother and Sister! I have _never_ seen James look so pale and at a loss for words and Lily was in tears! In _tears_ , Albus! She thought that she would never see you again! And now, you're about to go off on _another_ adventure?! There's going to be a _Blizzard_ out there! You'll _never_ find The Stone because it doesn't exist! You'll get lost! All because of a myth! Is that what you really want?"

"Don't try the guilt thing on us," Albus snapped as he wheeled around to face her. "It won't work and you sound so cringeworthy doing it."

"Okay," Rose said, stopping and taking a deep breath. "Let's try something else. Scorpius, say the Stone exists for one moment, what do you think you'd gain from using it?"

"I'd see my Mum again and I'd be able to talk to her," Scorpius said, stopping and leaning against the stone Dungeon wall.

"But would you be able to go without using it if _does_ exist?" Rose pressed him. "How do you know where to find it? Finding a small Stone in such a large Forest wouldn't be an easy task."

"Well, I've got a map that can help me. But never mind that! You can come with us!" Scorpius exclaimed hopefully. "That way, with three of us, we could find it faster!"

Albus and Rose both stared at him and Scorpius felt Rose's expression was growing colder by the minute, making him feel slightly panicked. He decided to plough on.

"We could get to know each other a lot better. It'll be a nice night for a romantic stroll, if you're into romantic strolls that is. It would be the perfect setting for a date. You, me, the moonlight. Oh, and Albus! I forgot about Albus! What do you say? How about a romantic stroll in the moonlight?"

Albus looked at Scorpius as if he had two heads and Rose was speechless. She was opening and closing her mouth furiously.

"Honestly Scorpius, there's a time and place for asking her out," Albus muttered, looking as if he were trying not to laugh. Rose seemed to have found her voice.

"I don't want…I won't…I'm not... NO!" She shouted. "For heaven's sake! Are you not capable of having a proper conversation without feeling the need to chat me up every two seconds?! I'm just trying to help you here! If you're going to act like a complete _idiot_ , then fine! Go out there. See if _I_ care!"

She turned around and took two steps before turning back to Scorpius.

"A romantic stroll in the moonlight!" She repeated waspishly. " _Honestly_!"

She stormed off out of the Dungeons and they could hear her footsteps echo in the Entrance Hall. Albus leaned against the Dungeon wall, opposite Scorpius and let out a long sigh.

"Well that went surprisingly well," Scorpius said happily. "She actually _talked_ to me this time! And she remembered my name! She didn't call me Bread Boy or Bread Head or Scorpion King or any of those nasty ones."

Albus merely shook his head, face saying it all.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot shorter than the other ones, so it was easier for me to post this.

The clocks seemed to have been bewitched in the Slytherin Common Room as the hours crept by with agonising slowness. Scorpius was too nervous to read or do any Homework. Albus offered to play Wizards Chess with him, but Scorpius was too distracted, which resulted in a crushing victory for Albus who was also distracted and failed to gloat at all. They both agreed that they would set off after their fellow Slytherins were asleep and Scorpius couldn't wait to get started.

They went to bed earlier than usual, but instead of sleeping, they were preparing for their trip into the Forest. Albus had taken out every Weasley jumper that he owned and was dividing them between himself and Scorpius. Scorpius had been given a few jumpers as gifts from Molly Weasley and he spent a while in the bathroom pulling them on. When he emerged with his many layers, he found to both his annoyance and amusement that Albus had fallen asleep. Scorpius tiptoed across the Dormitory, careful not to wake his other roommates.

" _Albus_!" He hissed, raising his head and checking if his roommates were still asleep. No one seemed to have heard him and he turned back to Albus.

" _Pssst…Albus! Albus! ALBUS!_ " Albus's bright green eyes snapped open in shock as Scorpius poked him in the ribs. When he saw who was waking him up, Albus's mouth twitched into a wide grin.

"Pleasant," Albus remarked dryly, a sleepy edge to his voice. "That never gets any less pleasant to wake up to,"

Scorpius stepped aside as Albus stretched and got up.

"Are you ready, then?" Albus asked.

"For another adventure?" Scorpius asked, a grin forming on his face. "Always. Malfoy the Unanxious is ready to get going again, and who knows what chaos we'll cause this time?"

"We're just looking for a Stone," Albus laughed. "It's not as if we'll burn the Forest down!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if we did just that, what with our track record and everything," Scorpius grinned.

"Well _I_ might," Albus said quietly. "I'm not sure about you. Still, it's a shame that Rose isn't coming with us." He added with a grin. "I'm sure she would've loved that 'Romantic Stroll in the Moonlight' with you. Trust you to ask her out like that."

"I wasn't thinking properly." Scorpius huffed, grabbing his map of the Forbidden Forest. "She was glaring at me like a Hippogriff and I was starting to panic. She was a very convincing Hippogriff as well come to think of it. I didn't know whether or to the blink or not. At least she wasn't a Basilisk because she would certainly put 'If looks could kill' into perspective. Although, I would rather stare into the eyes of a Basilisk than an angry Rose. I have to say that she was pretty downright terrifying. Radiant, but terrifying. I mean with a Basilisk, it's one look and it's over, but with Rose it just never stops. You were very brave standing up to her like that, by the way. I would've cracked in seconds. You're Albus the Fearless, Potter the Unshakable. Still, it was worth a try."

"Believe me, it was worth the entertainment." Albus said dryly. "Have you got the Cloak?"

"By Dumbledore, I almost forgot!" Scorpius almost shouted. He rushed to his Trunk and took it out, savouring the peculiar feeling of it as he slid it through his fingers. As he did so, a thought struck him and he felt the pressing need to consult Albus.

"Do you think this is a good idea?" He asked suddenly, his fingers still sliding through the Cloak. "I mean bringing back the dead and everything."

"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet?" Albus asked incredulously.

"I think we've all got cold feet due all this cold weather," Scorpius pointed out. "But do we have to right to bring back the dead? Should we have that kind of power?"

"You've been wanting to do this for a while, now," Albus pointed out. "And I think that this is something that you need to do. Now that you know about the Stone, I don't think you'd be able to turn back, anyway. Otherwise this is going to eat you up and then you'll never move on."

Scorpius looked at Albus, whose face was partially illuminated by the greenish glow of Scorpius's lamp. From what he could see of it, Albus's face was set in that determined way.

"You're right," Scorpius said. "Giving up is for wimps! We're not wimps, we're Malfoy the Unanxious and Potter the Unshakable. Although I might be a wimp if I had to eat fish, but that's another thing entirely. "

"Glad to hear it," Albus said with a grin. "So, are you ready, then?" Albus asked, moving closer to Scorpius.

"Ready for more mayhem to the Nth degree? You bet!" Scorpius beamed. "Izzy Wizzie, let's get busy! I heard that on a Muggle programe, once." He added, answering Albus's amused look.

He threw the cloak over them and they tiptoed out of the Dormitory and through the Common Room to the dungeons. It was a funny feeling, moving around under the cloak at night. The dungeon passageway as deserted as was the entrance hall. They could hear a faint wind, whistling outside and it got louder as they crept to the front door. Albus opened it with a tap of his wand and a bitter wind blew into their faces as they hobbled out. They looked out onto the grounds and saw a Blizzard raging across the grounds.

"I guess Rose was right," Scorpius said weakly. "That is one monster of a Blizzard."

"Well that's just _perfect_." Albus spat sarcastically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up that the next Chapter will be in the perspective of Rose Granger-Weasley.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the slightly longer than usual wait. I didn't have as much time to edit this chapter last week. I'm also trying to finish a rather long scene and it's driving me crazy. I think I have just two more chapters of this story to write.

Prefect duty was very hectic for Rose this evening. Plenty of Students were loitering in the corridors and a group of Gryffindors were sliding on the ice that settled there. Rose was forced to send them all back to their Common Rooms before asking a Slytherin Prefect to check if Albus and Scorpius were in their Dormitory. The Prefect returned ten minutes later saying that Albus and Scorpius were indeed missing, confirming her worst fears.

She had been distracted all evening, worrying about Albus and Scorpius and their stupid plan to sneak into the Forbidden Forest in the middle of a raging Blizzard to find the mythical Resurrection Stone. She didn't know what they were trying to prove, but she thought that they were acting very recklessly. Part of her felt sorry for Scorpius as he had lost his Mum, but the other part of her was deeply irritated by him not taking her warnings seriously and his attempts at asking her out at every chance he got had stopped being funny a long time ago.

She had tried to talk them out of it but they were both so stubborn. Albus was still refusing to listen to her and she was at the end of the tether. She wasn't bluffing when she threatened to tell professor McGonagall. She _had_ to tell Professor McGonagall: It was for their own safety.

As she was searching the Seventh Floor, she met her Brother Hugo coming out of a classroom with a Chess Board under his arm.

"Hugo!" She called, pleased to see a friendly face. Hugo jumped and almost dropped the Board.

"Blimey, Rose! Don't do that!" Hugo gasped, glaring at her.

"Nice to see you too," Rose remarked dryly. "Have you _just_ finished Chess Club?"

"Err no, not _really_ ," Hugo said sheepishly, ears turning red. "I was packing up, but Benjy Perceval from Ravenclaw wanted a rematch. I only _just_ checkmated his King."

"Very impressive," Rose said. "Benjy's a brilliant player. We'll make a Grand Master out of you yet. You better get back to the Common Room. Curfew began ten minutes ago and Professor McGonagall wants all Students out of harm's way. That Blizzard sounds quite nasty."

"I was already on my way," Hugo grumbled, before taking a look at her. "Are you alright, by the way? You look stressed. OWL revision catching up on you?"

"What? Of course not!" Rose snapped. "Don't talk rubbish. I'm worried about Albus and that _ridiculous_ friend of his, actually."

She told Hugo all about the conversation that she heard between Albus and Scorpius in the Library this morning.

"And then, I tried to talk them out of it but the pair of them are just _so_ stubborn!" She stormed. "I tried to warn them about the Blizzard, but Scorpius Malfoy had the temerity to ask me to come with them on a _date_! Can you believe that? ' _A Romantic stroll in the Moonlight'_ he termed it. His words, not mine. He knows very well that I am not interested in him but he persists nonetheless. _Now_ , I've just had word from one of the Slytherin Prefects that Albus and _Scorpius_ are not in their beds. They've snuck out, Hugo in the midst of a _Blizzard_ for Dumbledore's sake! So right now, I'm trying to find Professor McGonagall and quite possibly explain to her how I managed to let two Students freeze to death when they were supposed to be in their Dormitories. It's last year all over again."

Rose was breathing heavily and Hugo was silent for a moment as he stared at her, a concerned frown appearing on his forehead.

"So, they're looking for this Resurrection Stone?" He asked finally.

"Didn't I just already say that, Hugo?" Rose snapped impatiently. "Yes, they were looking for the Resurrection Stone. Albus seems to think it exists and he's told Scorpius about it. I mean, I'm very sorry about his Mum. I really am. But putting his hopes up like that is just cruel."

"Did you try and talk them out of it with your usual charm?" Hugo asked with a smirk.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Rose snapped, her temper rising.

"Nothing," Hugo said hastily, backing away. "But what if it did you know, exist?"

"But it _doesn't_ exist, Hugo," Rose said irritably. "There isn't a shred of evidence that is exists."

"I don't think Albus would lead Scorpius into the Forest without a good reason," Hugo said reasonably. "There must be something more to this Stone thing. You know, I saw Albus in the Gryffindor Common Room the other day. It was quite weird because he's not supposed to be there because he's… You know."

"He's in Slytherin, Hugo. _Not_ dying of Dragon Pox," Rose said tiredly.

"But isn't that the same thing, according to Dad?" Hugo grinned, before backing off again under Rose's withering look.

"Anyway," He continued. "I asked what he was doing and he said he needed to borrow something of James's and he asked me not to tell anyone. He even offered to help me with my Potions homework."

Something clicked in Rose's brain as she remembered something from earlier in the morning. Surely they didn't have what she thought they had?

"James was upset this morning," Rose said slowly, the truth dawning on her, numbing her senses. "I heard him accuse Lily of stealing a cloak from his Dormitory. I had to break up their argument because Lily was threatening to hex him. Mum and Dad told us that Uncle Harry used to have an Invisibility Cloak during their School days. What if Uncle Harry passed the Cloak on to James? What if it was the Cloak that Albus was stealing?"

"Rose, what are you on about?" Hugo frowned.

"Merlin's Pants!" Rose gasped, ignoring Hugo as shock, horror and panic crashed down upon her. "The idiots! The _complete_ idiots! No _wonder_ they think they can go sneaking out. They'll be invisible!"

She rushed past Hugo, down the corridor at full speed. The need to see Professor McGonagall now more urgent than ever. How could they be _so_ stupid? They'd never be found now that they had the Cloak.

"Rose!" Hugo called, running after her. "Where are you going?"

Rose stopped. "Listen, Hugo. I want you to go back to the Common Room and _stay there_ , okay? I need to see Professor McGonagall! I only hope this Blizzard lasts a short time."

"Why? What are you- "Hugo began, but Rose was in no mood to continue chatting.

"GO!" She barked. "I'll explain everything once this is all over." She made to turn around again but Hugo called her back.

"Rose, wait!" Hugo called again. His voice shaking a little, causing Rose to face him again.

"Do you think Albus and Scorpius will be alright?" Hugo asked worriedly.

A wave of emotion threatened to overwhelm Rose for a moment. She blinked back the tears threatening to fall.

"I don't know, Hugo," She said, voice shaking a little. "I hope so. You better get back to the Common Room. Lily will be wondering where you are."

She turned and ran off down the corridor again, as Hugo headed towards Gryffindor Tower. She searched three floors for Professor McGonagall before heading in the direction of The Staff Room. She had to find her: She didn't want to know what would happen to the boys otherwise. As she reached The Staff Room, Professor McGonagall was just leaving it carrying a stack of parchment. Rose's heart soared. She had never been more pleased to see anyone in her life.

"Professor McGonagall! I need to talk to you right now!" Rose called urgently, causing Professor McGonagall to jump and drop her pile of parchment. "This is very urgent! Albus and Scorpius have gone missing again and they've out in the Blizzard looking for the Resurrection Stone which doesn't exist! I mean they think it exists but it doesn't really and now they're lost in the Forest!"

" _Good Heavens,_ " Professor McGonagall gasped, clutching her heart. "Miss Granger-Weasley, explain why you are behaving like a gabbling, galloping, gallivanting Gargoyle!"

Rose took a deep breath, pulled herself together and told Professor McGonagall all about the conversation that she heard this morning. About how she confronted them twice in order to talk them out of it and how they both dismissed her.

"And they're not in their beds, Professor." She finished, feeling breathless. "One of the Slytherin Prefects, Selwyn, I think, went to check on them and he said they were missing."

Professor McGonagall's eyebrows seemed to disappear into her hair as she raised them.

"So, let me get this straight: Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy have disappeared _yet_ _again,_ and have gone wandering off to the Forbidden Forest, in the middle of the worst Blizzard Hogwarts has seen in Centuries, in search of this _'Resurrection Stone'_?"

"That's right, Professor." Rose said, feeling relieved that she was being taken seriously.

"I see," Professor McGonagall said briskly, face turning white. "Follow me. We have no time to waste." She walked down the corridor and waved her wand and the stack of parchment rose up from the floor and followed her. She was walking so fast, Rose had to run to catch up with her.

"Where are we going, Professor?" She asked confusedly.

"My Office," Professor McGonagall replied curtly.

Rose followed McGonagall through the corridors and they soon reached the statue of the Gargoyle that was guarding her Office.

"Ginger Newts," Professor McGonagall said, and the Gargoyle leaped aside and Rose followed Professor McGonagall through to the moving spiral staircase. They both stepped onto the staircase and it moved them up and up.

"This Blizzard has caused havoc with everyone's schedules," Professor McGonagall said. "The Ministry of Magic has been stepping in and has been helping me in securing the Castle so there is minimal disruption possible. I must say, it is rather fortunate that Potter and Malfoy have decided to go out tonight. It will make things far easier in tracking them down."

"Professor, I hope you don't mind me asking, but what exactly are you talking about?" Rose asked, feeling confused.

"You'll see," Professor McGonagall smiled. The Spiral Staircase brought them to the top and Professor McGonagall reached the Oak door with the griffon shaped knocker and pushed it open. Rose followed her in, where the sound of whistling wind was even louder than in the other parts of the Castle.

"Oh, Minerva, you're back. Good," Hermione Granger, Rose's Mother and the Minister for Magic said, head poured over a pile of parchment. "There seems to be minimal damage to the north side of the Castle and the charms are holding up nicely. Now have you got those papers? It's very important that we go over them and see if there is anything we haven't overlooked."

"I'm afraid that this is going to have to be postponed, Minister." Professor McGonagall said briskly as she entered. The floating pile of parchment settled down on the desk with a small thump. "We have an emergency situation on our hands."

Hermione's head shot up. "What happened?" She asked urgently, an aura of authority emanating from her. "Is everything alright, Minerva?"

"It appears that Mr. Filch has forgotten to lock the front doors and two Students have snuck out," Professor McGonagall said grimly. "As for the rest, well I think you'll have to ask your daughter for the rest," Hermione looked round at Rose who was still standing in the doorway.

"Rose," Hermione frowned, a concerned expression appearing across his face and the aura of authority disappearing instantly. "You're not in trouble, are you?"

"Of course not!" Rose exclaimed, feeling slightly irritated.

"Rose _never_ gets in trouble," Harry Potter laughed, walking to the desk from the fireplace where he had been warming himself. "Not like my lot. Ginny and I received an angry letter from Percy this morning, saying that James was making fun of him when he was instructing Filch about the Fireplaces. He was already in trouble after hexing that Karl Jenkins boy in Albus's year."

"Rose came to me with the most urgent news, Harry," Professor McGonagall said solemnly, beckoning Rose in. Rose walked in tentatively and sat in a spare chair that Professor McGonagall conjured up. "I think it would be best if you tell them." Professor McGonagall added, patting Rose on the shoulder.

"It's Albus, Uncle Harry!" Rose said at once, jumping to her feet. "He's wandered off with Scorpius Malfoy to the Forbidden Forest!"

Harry's face drained of colour and he gripped the back of Hermione's chair.

"Oh no!" He said. "Not again!"

Rose told them the story again how she overheard them in the Library talking about the Resurrection Stone, about how she confronted them and they brushed her off. About how she sent the Slytherin Prefect to check up on them only for the Prefect to announce that they were missing.

"And now they're out there in this Blizzard and I couldn't stop them," She finished, sinking down in her chair and putting her head in her hands.

Hermione jumped up from her chair and put her arm around her.

"It's alright, Rose," She said soothingly. "You did the right thing."

"Albus seemed to think that the Resurrection Stone was real," Rose said, looking up at Hermione. "I told him not to be ridiculous. It's not real, is it?"

Hermione withdrew her arm from Rose and exchanged a look with Harry and Rose thought she saw a small smirk on Harry's face.

"The thing is, Rose," Hermione said, turning back to Rose and voice sounding quite strained all of a sudden. "The Resurrection Stone is real."

Rose's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe her ears. How could The Stone be real? It was clearly a myth! Has her Mother lost her mind? Maybe Albus was right all along.

"What do mean it's real?" She demanded. "I thought they were just rumours?"

"For once, the rumours are true, Rose," Harry said seriously. "I used it during the ceasefire when I surrendered to Voldemort and I dropped at the entrance of the clearing where the Death Eaters had their camp. I never went looking for it after the battle, because I thought it was safe there and I never told anyone else about it. Except for Albus over the Summer." Harry's face suddenly had the haunted look that appeared whenever he talked about the Battle of Hogwarts. Rose's parents used to make it quite clear that she and Hugo were not to discuss the Battle of Hogwarts with Harry.

"And it appears that he told Scorpius Malfoy about it and tonight, on one of the night of the worst Blizzard that Hogwarts has seen in centuries, they are searching for it." Professor McGonagall said sombrely. "What could have motivated them to do such a thing?" The Office was silent for a moment, save for the whistling wind outside, and realisation was dawning in Harry's eyes.

" _Of course,"_ He muttered to himself. "There's only one possible explanation."

"Harry? What are you- "Hermione began, but Harry cut her off.

"Scorpius's Mum. Astoria. She died, didn't she?" He asked Hermione as he started pacing the length of the Office. "Draco was a grieving mess for ages. Albus must've told Scorpius about the Stone, because I've told him a lot of things over the Summer. Albus would've wanted Scorpius to be happy. With the Stone, Scorpius will be bringing back Astoria."

"He told me his Mum had passed away," Rose said. "I mean, I'm sorry that his Mum died and everything, but I couldn't possibly let them go out at night with this Blizzard, and even if I knew that the Stone's real I would do the same! I mean I hated myself having to try and stop them. I would've probably wanted to find this Stone if I were in Scorpius's shoes, but I had no way of knowing that the Stone was real. I always thought that it was a fairytale, a myth. It's quite hard to believe it _is_ real, actually."

Hermione smiled at Rose.

"You can't learn everything from books, Rose," She said softly. "Sometimes, you have to open your mind up to other ideas no matter how ridiculous they sound."

Harry stopped pacing and looked as if he were trying not to laugh.

"I know what it's like, watching people you care about acting recklessly and not listening to a word you say," Hermione continued. "Sometimes you have to go on and act in the best interests of that person, even if the person you care about doesn't like it."

She shot Harry a significant look and Harry shifted guiltily.

"Your Mum didn't believe that the Resurrection Stone was real either, Rose," He said. "We had plenty of arguments about that."

"Oh, stop gloating, Harry," Hermione snapped, glaring at him.

"It's been almost twenty-four years, now and you still can't admit that I was right?" Harry asked, a small, strained smile appearing across his face.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, and the strained smile from Harry's face disappeared instantly.

"Begging your pardon Minister, but shouldn't we send out the Aurors to search the Forbidden Forest for the boys?" She asked. "I would hate for them to be out in this Weather for too long. This is my School and I take the welfare of my Students very seriously."

"There's no need for Aurors, Minerva," Harry said firmly, a similar and possibly even greater air of authority radiating from him. "I have a feeling that the boys will know where to go. Hagrid sent a letter to me the other day, saying that Albus was taking an interest in Aragog's lair. I should've known that something was up. Send a message to Draco Malfoy and tell him to come to the Castle. He needs to know about Scorpius."

Harry strode over to the fireplace and took a pot off the mantelpiece and got a pinch of Floo Powder and threw it into the fire. The flames roared up and blazed emerald green. Harry shouted his address.

"Ginny!" He called urgently. "Get to Hogwarts quickly and bring the Marauder's Map!"

He returned as Professor McGonagall sent something silver streaking out of the office.

"Now we wait." He said solemnly, sinking into his seat and letting out a long sigh.

The worst thing for Rose, was that she didn't know how long they have to wait for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, we're back with the boys.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this has taken longer to upload. I had a cold last week and I found that I could hardly concentrate whilst editing this.

As plans go, battling their way through a raging Blizzard was probably their worst one yet, Scorpius thought as they fought their way through waist deep snow that soaked half of their bodies. The Cloak might have made them invisible, but it didn't protect them from the cold.

"We didn't plan for this," Albus shouted over the howling wind. "It's _freezing_!"

"It's not _that_ cold, Albus." Scorpius called back, shivering as his teeth started to chatter. "Well, maybe a little."

Despite their many layers, the cold was cutting into every part of their skin like tiny, icy knives. Their visibility was hampered and Scorpius suspected they were veering away from the Forest. It was only by spotting Egbert the Snowman were they able to get back on track. His colours shone out through the Blizzard like a beacon to them.

"Not long now," Albus called. "We're almost there. We just had to keep moving."

That was easier said than done. The large amount of snow made moving very difficult as they raised their arms, trying to shield their faces from the bitter wind that was battering their part of his body was screaming to turn around and go back, but thoughts of his Mother kept him going as well as Albus's presence.

The lights in Hagrid's Hut were a welcome sight to them, as it was a sign that they had reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. They stumbled around the edge of Hagrid's Hut before making their way towards the trees where they were able to shelter under one of the large Oaks. They pulled the Cloak off, shivering and freezing. Scorpius felt as if his entire face was frozen solid.

"I-I'm d-d-defiantly awake n-n-now," Albus shivered as he stowed it away under his many layers.

"I-it's c-certainly m-m-more than a l-little bit c-c-cold," Scorpius stuttered, his teeth chattering like crazy. They were soaking wet waist down and the temptation to just stand there shivering was almost too great. However, Scorpius reminded himself why he was in the Forest in the first place and forced his half-frozen brain to get moving again.

With trembling fingers, he took out the slightly damp the map that he had borrowed from the Library and unfolded it with difficulty.

"I-it seems we have to k-k-k-keep on this p-p-path. The c-clearing is d-d-d-d-deep in the f-f-forest. H-Hagrid used it for his Acromantula c-colony so it's w-well out of the w-w-way and no H-Hogwarts Student would be able to s-s-stumble upon them accidentally."

Albus took out his wand, a look of pity in his eyes and he looked at Scorpius who was shivering uncontrollably.

"S-Scorpius. Let me try something. We don't want you to be a shivering wreck when we find the Stone."

He pointed it at Scorpius and muttered something inaudible over the howling wind. A jet of hot air issued from the end of his wand in the form of steam, warming every inch of Scorpius's body. It was as if he had sunk into a hot bath.

"Thank you," He sighed gratefully. "You're very good at that. I feel as fresh as a Daisy, as light as a feather, as warm as a Dragons Egg. That's some spell. Heart-warming, or everything warming actually. I'm glad you decided to come with me."

"D-don't mention it," Albus said gruffly, his cheeks already pink from the cold winds, flushing a dark red.

"You could probably do with some warming up as well," Scorpius continued. "I'd hate to see you suffering at my expense."

"I-I'm F-f-fine," Albus shivered, pulling his cloak around himself.

"No you're not," Scorpius smiled softly, whipping out his wand. "You'll be decorating the Forest as an ice statue if I don't do something."

He pointed his wand at Albus and muttered the incantation. A jet of steam shot out of his wand, drying Albus.

"You didn't have to do that," Albus muttered, cheeks still bright red as he hugged himself, trying to savour the warmth.

"That's what friends are for, Albus," Scorpius said earnestly, causing Albus to smile at him.

"Thanks," He said. "We should probably get moving though. As pleasurable as it is to stand with you under this tree, I don't want to freeze to death. I don't think we need to wear the Cloak in here either."

"Unless we run into a _particularly hungry_ monster of Hagrid's," Scorpius said with a slight squeak to his voice.

Albus laughed as they set off following the path, twigs snapping underfoot. The Blizzard wasn't as bad as they got deeper in the Forest. Snow was still falling down around them and as the trees grew thicker, it grew darker. Albus and Scorpius both took out their wands and lit them. A large gust of wind shook the nearby trees as Scorpius and Albus walked past, causing them to shiver again. The warming charms seemed to be wearing off. They both glanced up at the sky and saw a fast moving, iron-grey cloud overhead. Flurries of snow were still falling thick and fast, settling in Albus's hair and giving him a speckled look.

"So much for a 'romantic stroll in the moonlight'," Albus snorted, nudging Scorpius in the ribs causing Scorpius to groan.

"I panicked for one moment and you're going to use that moment of deep humiliation against me forever?" Scorpius asked indignantly.

"Not forever," Albus said. "Just for tonight, or the next time you make a fool of yourself in front of Rose."

"And I thought you were my friend," Scorpius said, glaring at Albus.

"That's what friends are for, mate!" Albus grinned mischievously. He seemed to be having such a fun time tormenting Scorpius, that Scorpius thought that it was time Albus received a taste of his own medicine.

"It's a shame that we can't take Professor Smokey Eyes," Scorpius said casually, casting a sidelong glance at Albus. "I'm sure that she would love the chance to have a romantic stroll with her favourite student." He grinned at the sight of Albus's darkened expression.

" _That's not her name,"_ Albus growled. "And I _don't_ have a _thing_ for her. I told you I don't have a thing for older women!"

"You can't deny true love, Albus!" Scorpius sang, enjoying it entirely. "I can see it in your eyes!"

"Oh, shut up!" Albus scoffed with a grin. "Let's just keep moving."

"Right you are!" Scorpius said cheerfully, before humming ' _love is in the air_ ', earning him an elbow to the ribs from an very irritated Albus which caused him to burst out laughing.

Having Albus with him certainly helped take Scorpius's mind off his whereabouts. They continued down the path through the Forest as the howling wind slowly died down.

* * *

Harry was so worried about Albus and Scorpius that he couldn't stop pacing. So many memories of last year surfaced fresh in his mind. It had been five minutes since he had called Ginny and told her to come to Hogwarts. A million thoughts flooded through his mind as to why she was taking so long. Professor McGonagall had implored him to take a seat, but he couldn't just sit there and wait. He had to do something. If it were up to him, he would be out there right now trying to find the boys.

Hermione and Rose were talking quietly in a corner of the Office with Professor McGonagall, when the fireplace erupted with green flames and a second later, Ginny Potter came spinning out. Harry and Professor McGonagall rushed forward. Harry caught Ginny as Professor McGonagall waved her wand, vanishing the ash.

"I got your message," Ginny said as she untangled herself from Harry, handing him the Marauders Map. "Sorry it took so long. You really should tidy your Study sometime. What's the matter? You sounded urgent over the Floo. Is something wrong? You look white as a sheet."

Harry was about to reply, when the Fireplace erupted again and Ron Weasley came tumbling out.

"Blimey, it's freezing in here!" He shivered. "Is everything alright here? Harry sounded frantic over the Floo."

"Ron!" Hermione cried as she rushed forward. Ron gathered her up in his arms and gave her a kiss. Rose looked away pointedly.

"You taste of garlic," Hermione frowned as she pulled away, giving Ron a dirty look. "Have you been at those Garlic Sausages again?"

" _No_ ," Ron said sharply, causing Hermione to raise her eyebrows at him. "Well, maybe one or two," He said sheepishly. "But I couldn't help myself."

"Make sure you stay away from that Transylvanian Vampire Delegation, next week," Hermione said sternly. "A fine example you'd set if you met them stinking of garlic."

" _Relax_ ," Ron said placatingly, rubbing her arm and brushing a strand of hair from her eyes. "Everything will be fine."

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked.

"I was having a cup of tea with Ginny when Harry called," Ron replied. "He sounded urgent so I thought I'd better come. What's wrong? Lunatics escaped from the asylum?"

Hermione and Professor McGonagall both shot him a sharp look as Rose got up from her seat.

"Hi Dad!" Rose called. Ron saw her and did a double take, his mouth hanging open in astonishment.

" _Rosie!_ " He gasped. You're not in trouble, are you?"

"No, I'm not," Rose snapped. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Rose is the reason why we are all gathered here, Ronald." Professor McGonagall said grimly as she returned to her desk.

"Why? What's happening?" Ron asked sharply, looking between Harry, Hermione and Professor McGonagall. "Why do you look so pale, Harry? It isn't Albus again by any chance?"

"I think I'd like to know that too," Ginny said. "What's so urgent Harry, that you had to call me here at this time in the evening? Is Albus alright? What's he done now?"

Just as Harry was about to answer, the fireplace erupted for the third time and Draco Malfoy emerged, robes as impeccable as always and his hair tied back in its usual ponytail.

"I got your message, Minerva," He said, looking around the office and spotting Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Rose and Professor McGonagall. "I came as quick as I could. What's the matter?" He frowned. Ron and Ginny looked at Harry expectantly and Professor McGonagall cleared her throat causing them to look at her instead.

"It appears that both your sons have a habit of trying to bring back the dead." She said seriously, looking between Ginny and Draco. "Albus and Scorpius have both journeyed into the Forbidden Forest, on the night of the worst Blizzard that Hogwarts has seen in centuries, I might add, in search of a device called The Resurrection Stone. Draco this is going to be a bit of a shock, but we believe that Scorpius is trying to bring his Mother back."

Profound silence followed the statement and Ginny paled. "Oh no!" She gasped. "The poor boy!"

Ron swore, causing Hermione and Rose to glare at him. Draco seemed at a loss for words. He swayed dangerously on the spot.

"Draco, you need to sit down." Hermione implored him. Just when Harry thought that he was going to fall over, Professor McGonagall conjured him up a chintz armchair which he fell into and placed his head in his hands.

"This is all my fault," He mumbled as Ginny and Hermione rushed to his side.

"Don't be silly," Ginny chided him gently. "Of course it's not your fault."

"We never talk about Astoria," Draco said looking up. His face looking gaunt and his eyes full of pain. "Things _have_ improved for us, but despite the events in Godric's Hollow, neither of us has had the courage to discuss her passing. There's still too much pain there. It's still too fresh. I always try to but I can never quite find the words and I know, deep down that Scorpius is hurting and I still can't reach him. I am too much of a coward to open up to him. I don't know how." He broke off staring into space, his face blank and his eyes full of remorse. Harry felt a surge of sympathy for him.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Draco," Hermione whispered, looking on the verge of tears. Ron came to her side and put an arm around her.

"Yeah," He said sadly. "I'm sorry too. That must be terrible, losing your Wife like that. I know I would be lost without Hermione."

Hermione shot him a small, watery smile and melted into his embrace.

"Draco," Ginny said softly. "You have to open up to him, show him your pain. He's the only family you have and you need one another. Don't shut him out, otherwise you'll only regret it. Scorpius looks up to you and he's clearly been bottling his feelings up. You need to talk to him, to tell him that you are missing Astoria too. I know you're not used to showing your emotions to anyone, but he's your only son. You should be able to trust one another."

"Astoria was always better at that sort of thing," Draco muttered.

"I know what you mean," Harry said quietly. "I don't think I would be able to get anywhere with Albus if it wasn't for Ginny."

"You need to have a good chat with him when we find him," Ginny said. "You can get through this together."

"That's all very well," Draco said. "But we don't know where about in the Forest they are."

"I do," Harry said quickly. He explained how he had possession of The Stone during The Battle of Hogwarts and how he had used it when he gave himself up to Voldemort and how he had dropped it in the clearing where The Death Eaters made their camp.

"Albus told Scorpius about The Stone and I suspect that Scorpius must've worked out where the clearing was. The boy's intelligent enough." He finished.

Silence followed Harry's explanation. The colour seemed to have returned to Draco's face and he was glaring at Harry.

"So, let me get this straight," He growled incredulously. "You dropped the Stone when you gave yourself up to Voldemort and you didn't even go _back_ for it? That the reason my Son is in the Forest tonight is because of _you_?"

"I thought that it was safer in the Forest," Harry said. "Apparently, I was wrong."

"You complete fool, Harry Potter!" Draco stormed angrily, jumping to his feet. Rose stared at him, a shocked expression on her face.

"Don't you have a go at Harry!" Ron snapped.

"Why didn't you tell anyone about The Stone?" Draco raged ignoring Ron. "Why did you have to keep it a secret?"

"Because that thing has a dangerous effect on people," Harry said calmly. "They will end up wasting away, not able to truly have what they desire. It's part of The Deathly Hallows."

Harry briefly explained about the Deathly Hallows whilst making sure not to give too much information about the Invisibility Cloak.

"I thought the Deathly Hallows were a myth." Rose said confusedly.

"That's what I used to think as well, Rose," Hermione said. "But again, it helps to open your mind to other ideas."

"Yeah, I don't think your Mum has gotten over the fact that she was wrong," Ron said.

"Are you trying to tell us that The Deathly Hallows are real?" Draco asked Harry, raising an eyebrow, an incredulous look on his face.

"Real, dangerous, and a lure for fools," Harry answered grimly before he could stop himself. He winced at his choice of words, but the damage was done. Several of the portraits around the Office erupted in outrage.

"Now really, Harry," Professor McGonagall said reproachfully. "There's no need to call Scorpius Malfoy a fool."

"Blimey, mate. Talk about overkill," Ron said weakly. "The poor kid's lost his Mum.

" _Harry!_ " Hermione and Ginny both exclaimed angrily. Rose opened her mouth in surprise, but Draco's reaction was the worst; He plunged his hand into his robes and took out his wand before pointing it at Harry, looking as if he were ready to kill.

" **MY SON IS** _ **NOT**_ **A FOOL, POTTER!** " Draco roared, his face full of rage.

"He didn't mean it like that, Draco!" Ginny and Hermione both exclaimed.

"I'm sure that Harry was only quoting Dumbledore," Ginny implored him. " _Weren't you?_ " She added dangerously, shooting Harry a dark look.

"I was," Harry said at once, briefly looking over at the empty portrait behind Professor McGonagall's desk. Why did Dumbledore have to choose tonight to visit another of his portraits? "I'm sorry, Draco. I'm not accusing Scorpius of being a fool. He's far from it. I understand what he's going through. My Son is also out there in this Blizzard. I'm worried about both of them as well."

Draco glared at Harry for a moment, before he lowered his wand and he gave Harry a curt nod.

"Age hasn't mellowed him," A snide voice sneered from one of the portraits.

"That's enough, Phineas!" Professor McGonagall snapped. "Now that you've sorted out your misunderstandings, don't you think that we should plan some course of action?" she asked.

"Yes, you're right of course, Minerva," Hermione said briskly, taking control of the situation. "Harry, perhaps you could try and find them on the Map."

"I have reason to believe that they're wearing an Invisibility Cloak that Albus stole from James's Dormitory," Rose said suddenly.

"An Invisibility Cloak?" Draco choked. "They're out there in a Blizzard _invisible_?"

"Would they even show up on the Map if they're invisible?" Professor McGonagall asked worriedly.

"Of course they will," Harry said, taking out his wand. "The map _never_ lies." He tapped the map with the tip of his wand.

" _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_ " The map of Hogwarts and the grounds appeared. Harry searched toward the Forbidden Forest and saw two dots labelled _Albus Potter_ and _Scorpius Malfoy_ at the edge of the map.

"They're already deep in the Forest," Harry said grimly as the two dots disappeared off the edge of the map. "They shouldn't be too far from the clearing."

"You remember where the clearing is?" Draco asked him sharply.

"Yeah, it's where Hagrid kept his colony of Acromantulas." Harry replied.

"Blimey, Aragog's nest!" Ron said weakly. "The last time I was there, Aragog ordered his kids to eat us. Remember Harry? I had nightmares for _months_ after that. I've had enough of Spiders for a lifetime."

" _Spiders_ , Weasley?" Draco turned his head to face Ron, a shadow of a smirk appearing on his face. "You're frightened of _Spiders_?"

" _Watch it, Malfoy,_ " Ron said threateningly. "Or I'll cut your ponytail off."

A shadow of Draco's old smirk appeared across his face before turning back to Harry.

"If we leave now, we'd be able to catch them," Harry said, wiping the map and summoning his Cloak.

"You're heading into the Blizzard?" Professor McGonagall asked incredulously, her face draining of colour. "Harry, it's far too dangerous."

"My _Son_ is out there, Minerva." Draco said testily. "He's the only family I have and quite frankly, he needs me."

"I going as well," Ginny said, her eyes blazing fiercely. "My Son's out there, too."

"As Minister for Magic, I can't let them go out alone, Minerva." Hermione said as she summoned her own Cloak.

"I'm going as well," Ron said. "With more of us, we'll have a better chance of finding the boys."

"Well, I see that you're all set on going out," Professor McGonagall said. "I shall accompany you as well. After all, they _are_ my Students and their well-being is my responsibility."

"I'm coming too," Rose said, looking very determined.

"Miss Granger-Weasley, I think it would be best if you return to your Dormitory," Professor McGonagall said. "As a great help as you were, The Forbidden Forest is off limits to Students. Even without the Blizzard, I'm afraid we can't take the risk."

"I'm not going back to the Dormitory," Rose said incredulously. "My Cousin is out there! I'm not waiting in the Common Room like I did last year. I can't. I need to see what's happening. I can help!"

"Let her come with us, Minerva," Ron said. "We need all the help we can get. She'll be fine."

"Ron, there's a Blizzard outside," Hermione said impatiently. "She'll be safer in the Castle."

"If you think I'm missing out on the action this time, you're sadly mistaken," Rose said stubbornly, looking more and more like a teenage Hermione. Harry and Ginny briefly shared a look of amusement before turning away.

"And if _you_ think this is some exciting adventure, _you_ are sadly mistaken!" Hermione said sharply.

"The Blizzard's dying down out there," Harry said, hoping to nip their argument in the bud. The whistling wind was indeed less loud than it was a moment ago. "We could use Rose's help."

Professor McGonagall and Hermione looked at Rose for a moment, before glancing at each other. A resigned looked passed between the two of them.

"Oh, very well," Professor McGonagall sighed reluctantly, turning back to Rose.

"But stay close to us, Rose." Hermione warned. "It's dangerous in the Forest."

"Do you think we could all get moving?" Draco asked impatiently, striding towards the door. "I would rather retrieve my Son alive than as an Ice Statue."

"I agree," Professor McGonagall said. "We should get moving now before the Blizzard returns. Time is of the essence."

She summoned spare cloaks for Ginny, Ron, Rose and Draco, before moving to the Office door and leaving. Draco followed suit.

"Come on, Rose," Ginny said, beckoning Rose towards her. "Have you been keeping busy this year?"

Rose told Ginny about her Prefect duties and how her lessons were going this year as they left together, leaving Harry, Ron and Hermione alone in the Office.

"Blimey, mate," Ron said weakly. "Albus and Scorpius keep dropping you in it. Are you sure Albus isn't trying to kill you off?"

"That poor boy," Hermione said sadly. "I feel _so_ sorry for him."

"So do I," Harry said grimly. Harry knew exactly how Scorpius felt. The idea of a stone that could bring back the dead was a very tempting object. He knew that he would've done the same in a heartbeat at Scorpius's age.

"What if he does find the Stone?" Ron asked. "Are we going to let him keep it?"

"Of course we can't let him keep it, Ron!" Hermione said. "You heard what Harry said: That thing has a dangerous effect on people."

"We should destroy it, if possible," Harry said grimly. He hated having to say that. "I hate the idea of doing it, but that thing causes more harm than good."

Both Ron and Hermione looked shocked, but they nodded.

"I only hope that we reach them in time," Ron said, as the three of them left the Office together. Harry couldn't help nodding, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter should be up next week.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure if I was going to include the first section, but after reading it over, I decided that I couldn't not post it.

* * *

The trees were getting thicker as Albus and Scorpius continued their journey in The Forbidden Forest. The Blizzard had stopped and bars of moonlight shone through the increasingly narrow gaps in the trees. But the cold still pressed down upon them and their warming charms had worn off a while ago. Their breath rose up like smoke and they were moving as quickly as they could to keep warm, but the tree roots hampered their movement. Albus had to grab hold of Scorpius to stop him from falling over at one point.

"I don't think we've ever gone this far in the Forest before," Albus said in wonder as he ducked his head trying to avoid getting hit by one of the branches.

"No, we haven't. I'm rather surprised that we haven't come across anything that would want to _eat_ us," Scorpius said as he followed the map with his lighted wandtip, taking extra care not to trip over any more roots.

"They're probably all hibernating," Albus muttered darkly, pulling his cloak around him and shivering. "It's too cold."

"It is very chilly," Scorpius agreed earning himself a snort from Albus. "But it's unlikely that they're all hibernating. Thesterals and Unicorns don't hibernate and as you said, the Acromantulas were taken to another part of the Forest after The Battle of Hogwarts."

"Is it true that there are Werewolves in the Forest?" Albus asked with a slight quiver to his voice.

"Well that is a subject of great speculation," Scorpius said thoughtfully. "There are rumours of Werewolf Cubs in the Forest and by that, I mean _true_ cubs! Cubs that were born to two Werewolves that mated in wolf form. But they are generally thought to be harmless and highly intelligent. Even if they _were_ in the Forest, I'd doubt that they would even go near us."

"Comforting thought," Albus muttered darkly.

"Anyway, there _was_ a Werewolf in the Forest _years_ ago!" Scorpius exclaimed. When Albus shown no sign of recognition to that fact, Scorpius continued. "Remus Lupin! Your Grandfather's Friend! Surely you haven't forgotten _that_?!"

"I haven't forgotten," Albus grumbled. "It's just the cold freezing my brain. It's getting harder to think."

"You seem rather normal to me, Albus," Scorpius grinned cheekily, earning himself a glare from Albus, causing Scorpius to have a small fit of the giggles.

They continued along the path until they reached a larger clearing. Just as Albus asked if they were there yet, they both saw some movement up ahead.

"Quick!" Albus hissed. "Under the Cloak! _Nox!_ "

Albus's wand tip was extinguished as he threw the Invisibility Cloak over himself and Scorpius just as Scorpius had extinguished his wand, throwing them into darkness. Scorpius stowed his map away and they both froze on the spot as three large Centaurs appeared ahead. They seemed to be arguing amongst themselves.

"Why do you insist on telling such tales, Ronan?" A large black Centaur stormed, pawing the ground angrily. "There is nothing about the stars tonight, that suggests that anything strange or unnatural will soon be happening."

Scorpius and Albus both looked up and saw that they were standing under an inky black sky full of stars twinkling down on them.

"Open your eyes, Bane." A red-haired Centaur said calmly. "Can you not feel the vibrations echoing across the cosmos? It is so clear, that it is written in the Stars."

"There is nothing new in the Stars that I haven't seen before!" Bane retorted.

"Polaris is bright tonight," Ronan said simply, ignoring Bane and looking up in the sky.

Scorpius followed their movements, and sure enough the North Star was shining down upon them all. An unbidden memory of his Mother surfaced in Scorpius's mind: _"You know, my Grandfather told me once that when we die, we become Stars and look down on the loved ones that we left behind. I like to think that one day, I'll be the brightest one up there, looking down on you."_

Scorpius couldn't help smiling at that memory. It had been years since he had thought of his Mum on the roof garden _._

"It is bright every night," Bane was sneering as he pawed the ground again. "You are seeing things that are not there."

"No Bane," Said a pure white Centaur that looked rather old. His voice was reedy and he too, was looking up at the stars. "It shines far brighter than I have ever seen it. I too, feel the vibrations. They are stronger tonight, than they have been in twenty-three years."

"Old age has blinded you, Pegasus," Bane snorted.

"Whereas anger has blinded _you_ , Bane." Pegasus said calmly.

"It is merely a trick of the cold," Bane scoffed, looking up at the stars. "I see no difference whatsoever."

They continued to argue as Albus nudged Scorpius and gently guided him around the edge of the clearing, desperate not to be heard, but they stopped when they heard what Ronan had to say next.

"Polaris is bright, but the Dragon and the Scorpion are fading. It has been happening for a while and only the shadow of the departed star-maiden can restore them to their glory. Something that defies all laws of nature is about to take place here and we have no part in this."

Scorpius and Albus exchanged astonished looks as Bane scoffed. The Centaurs resumed their arguing and Albus pointed out that it was their cue to get away. The both crept past the squabbling Centaurs. Scorpius had no idea why he was half-crouching as he was covered with the Invisibility Cloak and the Centaurs wouldn't be able to see him.

They were getting away, slowly but surely from the Centaurs. Scorpius felt a surge of excitement and moved a little bit faster hoping to get away from them. They were just about to leave the small clearing, when _SNAP!_ The sound reverberated around the clearing and the three Centaurs wheeled around in alarm facing the direction of the noise and Bane reared back on his hind legs Scorpius had trodden on a stick that was hidden in the snow. He heard Albus let out a particularly rude swear word that carried around the clearing.

"Who's there?" Bane shouted, drawing an arrow from his quiver and aiming it directly at Scorpius who had forgotten how to move.

"Show yourself!" Bane's shout was threatening and Scorpius was still trying to work up the courage to move his legs, if he knew how to. Albus swore again and steered Scorpius behind a rather large tree where they hid despite being invisible. Scorpius's heart was hammering heavily in his chest and he we pretty sure he could hear Albus's as well.

"You are threatening trees, Bane." Pegasus said lazily. "It was probably an animal."

"A beast of Hagrids perhaps?" Ronan suggested. "Regardless, we have no business here. Let us take this discussion elsewhere."

The sound of hooves told the boys that the Centaurs were leaving. Albus peered around the corner of the tree that they were hiding behind and Scorpius let out a long sigh. He didn't even realise that he was holding his breath.

"It's alright, they're gone," He said taking the Cloak off them, before letting out a long sigh himself. " _That_ was a close one."

" _I'm really sorry,"_ Scorpius squeaked, looking sheepishly at Albus. He would probably have been a goner if it wasn't for Albus.

"Relax," Albus said gruffly. "Could've happened to anyone."

Scorpius felt the feeling return to his stomach. He grinned at Albus tentatively, who grinned back and suggested that they move onwards.

"Those Centaurs were an interesting bunch," Albus said casually, as they set off down the path again. "Do they always go on about Astronomy?"

"It's part of their culture," Scorpius replied, lighting his wand and taking out his map as he followed Albus. "I'm not a great fan of Divination, but I find their branch of it absolutely fascinating. It's a pity that that Centaur isn't teaching Divination anymore. I'd love to study it. Perhaps we could meet them one day and ask them to teach us?"

"Dad told me that all they did was burn some herbs," Albus said. "Not a very productive way to spend a lesson."

"We both know that your definition of a "productive lesson" involves you sleeping and me taking your notes," Scorpius grinned, causing Albus to laugh.

"So, what did you make of all that stuff about the Stars?" Albus asked him. "It was complete gibberish to me. I _still_ can't believe my Dad took them seriously last year about that black cloud nonsense. It sounds like the sort of stuff that Trelawney would sprout."

"I'm-I'm not sure," Scorpius said slowly. "I'm not that good at Centaur Divination obviously, but I'm not going to dismiss it just because I don't understand it. I'm _not_ Rose."

Albus issued a small snort and grinned at Scorpius as he continued voicing his thoughts.

"I think, what it means is that I'm going to see my Mum again," He said, excitement flooding through him once more. He was sure of it now. The centaurs had foretold that he would see his Mum again. Albus however frowned with concern.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked worriedly. "They could've been arguing about _anything_."

"I _am_ sure," Scorpius said firmly, feeling more certain by the minute. "They were talking about a Scorpion and a Dragon, Albus. They see the universe on a different scale to us. I've got a good feeling about this!"

"That's funny," Albus muttered. "Because I've got a bad one."

Scorpius didn't answer Albus. He wasn't going to encourage his negativity. He sped up along the path, never feeling more confident in his life. He looked up at the night sky and saw Polaris twinkling down upon him again. It _did_ look bright. Brighter than he had seen it before. He waved at it, remembering the words he told his Mother a long time ago on the roof garden on Malfoy Manor.

"See you soon, Mum," He whispered.

* * *

The Blizzard had cleared by the time Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Draco, Professor McGonagall and Rose had reached the Castle steps and began to battle their way through the waist deep snow . Albus and Scorpius had left a trail in the snow that zig-zagged across the grounds that they were able to follow. By the looks of it, it seemed that the boys were walking blind.

"Merlin's great saggy, baggy, hairy, gigantic beard," Ron shivered whilst blowing on his hands. "It's _freezing_ out here!"

"Well it _is_ the coldest night that Hogwarts has seen for centuries, Ron!" Hermione snapped, as she briefly paused from casting her tracking charms. "And there _was_ a Blizzard!"

"I'm surprised the boys managed to get into the Forest," Ron muttered, pulling his cloak around himself. "I would've thought those winds would've frozen them solid."

"Something must've helped them get back on track," Professor McGonagall said. "The Snowman, perhaps?"

Professor McGonagall was right: The trail led them to the oddest-looking snowman that Harry had seen. It looked comically sinister with the large Quaffles that were used as eyes and the Beater's bat that was sticking out as a nose. The tree branches that were used for arms gave it a wild appearance and it was flashing the colours of the Hogwarts houses.

"Isn't that the Snowman that you built, Rose?" Ginny asked as they approached it. Harry could see a number of shells were used as buttons and its' mouth consisted of several large stones that were formed in an eerie smile.

"I didn't build it," Rose said dismissively. "Albus and Scorpius did. James, Fred, Lily and Hugo added to it. I just charmed it to stop it falling over. That's how Karl Jenkins got hexed. He attempted to knock it over and James hexed him."

Beneath all his anxiety and his annoyance at James for getting in trouble, Harry felt a twinge of pride for him for sticking up for Albus.

"It's very impressive," Ginny said admiringly. "What was it called again?"

"Egbert," Harry laughed fondly, remembering Lily's letter that he received the other day telling him that she had helped decorate a snowman that Albus had built with Scorpius and had named it Egbert.

"Professor Flitwick was very impressed by it," Professor McGonagall said. "He hasn't stopped telling the Staff Room how impressed by the quality of magic that was cast to build it. It was he who charmed it to flash the colours of the Hogwarts Houses, by the way. He's using it as an example to his First Years. "

"We're lucky he did," Draco said. "It seems that it was the snowman that guided the boys on the right path."

On closer inspection, Harry noticed the snowman seemed to be wearing a green and silver scarf and a very familiar hat.

"Is that Albus's hat?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"I think it is," Harry said as they moved closer. Ginny muttered something about it being ruined and Harry summoned it with his wand. It soared down into Harry's waiting hand and he stowed it away in his cloak.

The trail led them to the edge of Hagrid's Hut where they heard loud snores from the inside. It ended at the edge of a large Oak. Hermione cast a number of spells around the area.

"They've been here," She said grimly after walking around the tree. "My charms tell me that they've headed deeper into the Forest."

"Didn't Harry's map already confirm that?" Draco asked impatiently. "We should get in there as quick as we can." He shot Harry a questioning look.

"You _do_ remember the way, do you?" He asked Harry.

"Of course I do, Draco," Harry said at once, before turning back to the Forest, the memories of the Battle of Hogwarts suddenly crashing down on him. The flashes, bangs, screamed curses and shrieks of pain almost overwhelmed him as he stood there.

He had stood around here almost twenty-four years ago, knowing that the only way to defeat Voldemort was to sacrifice himself. Dumbledore had planned it all along. He was not expected to survive. There were no Dementors here this time, but it didn't make it less cold then it was all those years ago. He felt as if he were Seventeen again, getting ready to walk to his death again.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked him, looking at Harry with concern.

"Yeah," Harry said heavily, running a hand through his hair. "I'm fine."

As if she knew what he was thinking, Ginny took Harry's hand and squeezed it.

"You're not going in there alone this time, Harry." She said, her eyes blazing with understanding. "We're doing it together."

Harry squeezed her hand back, remembering how it was Ginny, who he had last thought of when he had met Voldemort in the clearing, whose lips he had thought of when he stared into Voldemort's red eyes.

Hermione placed her hand on Harry's shoulder.

"We're with you, Harry." She said. "I know it wasn't an easy thing for you to do, but the world is a better place _because_ of your sacrifice. The Fallen Fifty died to ensure that and we have never stopped ensuring that their sacrifice wasn't in vain."

"Yeah mate," Ron nodded, clapping him on the back. "Together as always."

Harry gave Ron a nod and small smile before walking hand in hand with Ginny, into the Forest with the rest of the group. Hermione told Rose to stay close to her.

"Reminds me of old times," He said, remembering the school time adventures he had had with Ron and Hermione. They seemed like a lifetime ago. They had all come a long way since then. Their trials and tribulations shaping them into very different people then they were thirty years ago. Harry found himself wistfully remembering his Hogwarts days.

"Don't you ever get the feeling that we may be getting to old for this sort of thing, though?" Ron asked, as they made their way through the Forest.

" _You_ might be, Weasley," Draco snorted. "But I'm still as young as ever."

"Is that why you have that ponytail then, Malfoy?" Ron asked him. "Mid-life crisis, is it?"

"Careful, Weasley," Draco said, sounding a lot more like his old self. "You've got a spider in your hair."

Ron frantically ran a hand through his hair before glaring at Draco. Rose rolled her eyes at the pair of them.

" _Very_ funny, Malfoy," Ron spat.

"What I don't understand," Draco said, as they lit their wands. "Is how the great Ron Weasley can be scared of something as insignificant as a _spider_."

Ron muttered something under his breath.

"Fred turned his teddy bear into a spider when he was five," Ginny smirked, causing Ron to glare at her. "He's been frightened of them ever since."

"Really?" Draco's old smirk returned as he surveyed Ron, whose ears had turned red.

"Yeah," He growled. "And going back to Aragog's nest isn't helping things. We were lucky to get out of there alive."

"And here you are tonight, facing your fears," Hermione beamed, kissing him on the cheek. "My hero."

Ron tried not to look too pleased with himself, but a small smirk appeared across his face.

"They were terrifying, though," He said. "The way they talked and moved and _everything_!"

"And the pincers," Harry added darkly. "Don't forget the pincers." He tried to imitate the clicking that the Acromantulas did, only to break off after everyone shot him funny looks.

"Don't get me started!" Ron exclaimed. "Why did Hagrid think Acromantula's made good pets? I mean, I like the bloke and everything, but he's a nutter. That _thing_ ordered his kids to _eat_ us!"

"I know, dear," Hermione said, patting his arm sympathetically, whist trying to keep a straight face. "Let it all out."

"They were very _big_ Spiders," Ron said with a quiver to his voice. "And very hairy."

Draco shook his head in amusement and Harry was sure that Professor McGonagall was hiding a smile. They continued down the path, Hermione casting charms in an attempt to find the boys. Harry felt uneasy as they continued their journey and he hoped he could find the boys as quickly as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pegasus the Centaur is my first OC that I've created. I was tempted to use Firenze, but I decided that I needed an older Centaur.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it: The big one.

The cold persisted and the path was getting thinner as Scorpius and Albus continued their way through the Forest in silence. Exposed, gnarled and twisted Tree roots were sticking out along the path and Scorpius was sure that he could see a large clearing ahead that was bathed in Moonlight. Scorpius's heart was hammering in his chest when he saw it.

"Are we there already?" Albus asked in amazement. Scorpius checked his map and saw that the clearing was right ahead. A large surge of excitement shot through him.

"Do you know, I think we are, Albus!" He said excitedly, sounding like a child on Christmas morning. "We're finally here! How great is that?"

He left Albus's side ignoring Albus who was calling his name and ran, full of excitement towards the clearing. He somehow managed to avoid tripping over the exposed roots and when he reached the entrance, he looked around the clearing expectantly, seeing if there was any indication on the Stones whereabouts. But there was none. The clearing was quite large and there was plenty of snow on the ground. There were the remnants of what looked like Spider webs still in some of the trees. Scorpius briefly imagined it being full of Acromantulas, all going about their lives. Scorpius thought that the clearing looked quite sad and very eerie after being so full of life.

The sky above them was clear with the stars twinkling down and the moon shone down upon the clearing giving it a silvery glow. Albus came running into the clearing out of breath and clutching his side.

"Scorpius," He panted, looking slightly grumpy. "Wait for me, will you? Is this it then? "He added looking around the clearing in wonder.

"This is it, Albus," Scorpius said, barely containing his triumph. "The clearing where Harry Potter sacrificed himself to Lord Voldemort during the Battle of Hogwarts! This is the place that marked the beginning of the end for Voldemort! We're standing in _history_ , Albus! History! My geekiness is a quivering like it has never a quivered before! "

Albus continued to look around the clearing, taking it all in with a strange expression on his face. Scorpius had a feeling what was on Albus's mind.

"Albus?" Scorpius asked. "Are you alright?"

"This is the clearing where my Dad _died_ , Scorpius," Albus said quietly. "Well he didn't really die, but that part of Voldemort that was inside of him was destroyed. But he was still hit with the Killing Curse like he was in Godric's Hollow. I always used to hate it when people used to go on and on about how heroic he was. But being here where my Dad got hit, going on the same journey that he did. It really gives a feeling for the tragedy of the whole thing. It's a lot to take in."

"I know," Scorpius said softly, putting his hand on Albus's shoulder. "My family didn't fight on your Dad's side, but growing up, I've always admired your Dad for what he's done and since I visited that timeline where Voldemort ruled the world, that admiration has increased. It was _hell_ in that world, Albus. _Complete hell_. Muggle-borns were being locked up in the dungeons and I was a complete monster."

"Yeah. I've been appreciating my Dad a lot more since he told me about more about the battle," Albus said, moving around the edge of the clearing. "Anyway, that's enough depressing thoughts for one day, So," He said after a moments silence. "The Resurrection Stone."

"Do you have any idea where he could've dropped it?" Scorpius asked, trying to keep his voice steady as excitement was rising up inside him again.

"Well, I'm guessing that my Dad would've dropped it by the clearing entrance," Albus said slowly. "So we should try there. Do you have any idea how we're going to retrieve it? Should we summon it?"

"I don't think magic is going to help us here," Scorpius said. "What we need, is good old-fashioned man power and elbow grease to recover the Stone."

"The Muggle way it is then," Albus grinned.

They both dropped to their hands and knees and began searching in the snow. It was very cold and wet and Scorpius could feel the wetness soaking into his many layers. He didn't know how long they searched for, but the optimism that he had earlier was slowly fading by the minute, as they found nothing but twigs and small animal bones. He kept pushing forward, silently repeating to himself, _'any moment now_ '.

"Scorpius," Albus said softly causing Scorpius to jerk his head up and look at him.

"Have you found it?" Scorpius asked eagerly. Albus shook his head.

"No, it's just that you're shivering." Albus said hesitantly. He was right:The snow had melted and had soaked Scorpius to his skin. He was doing his best to try and ignore it but now that Albus had mentioned it, the coldness swept over him. He looked at his hands; red and shiny from digging in the snow and a horrible realisation came crashing down upon him: It was a mistake coming here. He had led Albus out here for nothing, and now they were both in danger of freezing to death. He couldn't believe how foolish he was in thinking that he was going to see his Mum tonight. He looked miserably at Albus, silently willing himself not to cry.

"Take my cloak," Albus said, unfastening it and handing it to Scorpius.

"What?" Scorpius asked, flabbergasted. "I don't need it, Albus. You keep it."

"Take it," Albus insisted, eyes flashing with determination. "I don't want you freezing to death."

Scorpius knew that it was no use arguing with Albus. He took the cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders. It was as wet as his own cloak, but Scorpius appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

"Don't worry, Scorpius," Albus said quietly, looking at Scorpius's downturned, miserable looking face. "We'll find the Stone.

"No, we're not," Scorpius sniffed. "We're never going to find it, Albus." He said quietly as the chill pressed down upon him. It reminded Scorpius a lot of The Dementors in the timeline where Albus never existed. It seemed to chill his very bones. It didn't help that some clouds overhead moved in front of the moon bringing the clearing into darkness.

"Of course we will," Albus said bracingly.

"No. We won't!" Scorpius shouted, jumping to his feet. "Don't you see? It's lost. It's been almost twenty-four years since it's last been seen. For all we know, someone else has probably stumbled upon it and picked it up. I-I'm sorry, Albus. I've wasted your time. Rose was right. Those Centaurs were wrong. This trip was a complete waste of time."

"No. We just need to dig deeper," Albus said fiercely, his eyes glinting with determination. "Don't give up yet, Scorpius. We'll find it. Trust me." He gave Scorpius a soft smile and resumed his digging.

Scorpius turned away; he couldn't bear to see his best friend's optimism turn to despair. He walked along the edge of the clearing, pulling the damp cloaks around himself. He was ready to get out of this place. It was darker and far more intimidating than he realised. He should never have come here. The clouds shifted and the clearing was full of Moonlight once more. Scorpius was just summoning up the courage to tell Albus to stop digging and come back to the castle with him when Albus let out an excited shout.

"Scorpius! I've found something!"

Scorpius wheeled around, excitement returning to him.

"What is it?" He asked eagerly as he ran back to Albus, dimly aware of his cold and his wet clothes that were clinging to him. Albus was holding something up that looked like a small, black pebble. Scorpius swore that his heart skipped a beat.

"This was buried quite deep," Albus said. "It's like something crushed it into the ground. A Centaur hoof, maybe? I had to use a gouging charm. It looks exactly like what my Dad described it as looking. Here."

He handed Scorpius the Stone who took it with shaking hands. It was cold to touch and Scorpius examined it. There was a large crack down the middle and there was a symbol on it. It looked like a triangular eye. His heart leapt with excitement. He was finally holding the Resurrection Stone.

"This is it, Albus," He said in a shaky voice. "The Resurrection Stone."

"Are you going to try it out?" Albus asked uncertainly.

"I-I don't see why not," Scorpius stammered. "What do I do?" The thought that he may very well be seeing his Mother shortly seemed too good to be true. He made his way to the centre of the clearing and looked down at the Stone in his hand. How was this done? Does he just think about who he wants to see? Albus followed him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You need to turn it over three times." He said.

Scorpius smiled at Albus in gratitude. He wouldn't know what to do if it was just him out here alone. Something made him hesitate however. What if it didn't work? What if it did work but she didn't want to see him? What if she was angry? The emotions that he was feeling must have shown up in his face, because Albus squeezed his shoulder gently.

"It'll be alright," He said softly. "I'm with you. Do it when you're ready."

"Okay," Scorpius exhaled, his heart beating at a thousand rates per second. He turned the Stone over, once, twice, three times in his hand. Nothing seemed to have happened yet, but then Scorpius heard something shuffle on the ground in front of him. He looked up and let out gasp. Albus looked around confusedly.

His Mum was standing there looking right at him. She wasn't exactly a ghost, but she wasn't solid either. She was wearing the gown that she wore when she died and it shone whiter than the snow on the ground. But it wasn't what she was wearing that caught Scorpius's attention. She didn't look frail anymore. Her face was fuller than he had ever seen it in life. She had an air of great elegance about her and she was searching his face hungrily, as though she would never be able to look at him enough.

"Mum?" Scorpius breathed, daring to believe that he was really seeing her. Astoria gave him a brilliant smile.

"You've grown _so_ much," She said.

Scorpius's breath caught in his throat; This was just simply too good to be true. His Mother was standing there smiling at him, looking far healthier than he had ever seen her alive.

"I've missed you so much," He chocked out, reaching out to her with the hand that was not holding the Stone. Astoria reached out as well and his hand passed through hers as if it were made of smoke. A powerful ache rose up inside Scorpius. Half joy, half terrible sadness.

"I've _always_ been watching you," Astoria told him firmly, her eyes blazing like fire. "Even if you couldn't see me. I've always been there."

"Did it work?" Albus asked, looking around for Astoria. His voice snapped Scorpius back to reality.

"She's right here, Albus." Scorpius said gesturing to Astoria. Albus looked in Astoria's direction but his eyes didn't seem to focus on her.

"I don't see anyone," Albus said confusedly, frowning at Scorpius. "There's no one there."

"She's right in front of you," Scorpius snapped. Was Albus doing this deliberately? "Can't you see her?"

"No, I can't," Albus said. "Scorpius, I don't see anyone."

"But I can," Scorpius said. "How come you're not able to see her?"

"I'm part of you," Astoria said softly. "Invisible to anyone else. But he will only be able to see me if you open your heart and _want_ him to see me."

"Okay, I'll do that, then." Scorpius nodded, feeling slightly uncertain. Astoria gave him an encouraging smile, and he shut his eyes tight and focused with every fibre of his being on wanting Albus to see Astoria.

"Scorpius, what are you-?" Albus began, but then Scorpius heard Albus let out a gasp. "I think it's worked, Scorpius! I-I can see her!"

Scorpius opened his eyes to see Albus looking at Astoria open mouthed in astonishment, utterly mesmerised by her, his cheeks slightly pink.

"Albus," Scorpius said, not believing that he would ever be seeing the day that his two most favourite people in the world meeting each other. "This is my Mum, Astoria Malfoy. Mum. This is my best friend, Albus Potter. The one who I met on the Train."

"H-hello, Mrs. Malfoy," Albus stammered, looking slightly dazed. "Albus. I mean, I-I'm Albus. Albus Potter. Pleased to meet you."

"And I'm pleased to meet the young man who has befriended my Son." Astoria smiled. "It's nice to see that my sweets worked. Did you know that he used to talk about you all the time?"

"Did he?" Albus asked, a pleased little smile forming across his face.

"He came home that Christmas ever so pleased that he met you. He wouldn't stop talking about you." Astoria said, her eyes twinkling. "Draco and I were worried whether or not if he would make any friends when he started Hogwarts. And you really are something special, going out of your way to help Scorpius find this Stone so he could speak with me."

"He's told me so much about you," Albus said, putting his arm around Scorpius's shoulders. "I'm sorry I didn't meet you before you-well."

"I'm sorry too," Astoria said solemnly. "I'm sorry that I had to leave you and your Dad, Scorpius. I know it's been hard for you both, but you have each other. I was never destined for old age."

Tears blurred Scorpius's vision. "I know," He said thickly, taking a deep breath to steady himself. "I'm- I know it's been a while since I last saw you, but I'm in my Fifth Year now, Mum." Scorpius mumbled, wanting Astoria to know what he had been doing since she died. "Third Year was horrible without you and my Fourth Year was rather hectic. I almost destroyed the world. I'm not sure if you should be proud of that. But I'm enjoying Fifth Year. It's pretty fun and I'm going to take my OWLs soon. I hope I do alright."

"You're going to do brilliantly," Astoria beamed. "You always do brilliantly."

"Gosh, I hope so," Scorpius said. "I've done a lot of revising already."

"You're going to get straight O's in every subject," Albus snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Don't say that, Albus," Scorpius said quietly.

"You probably will if you put enough effort into your studies," Astoria said softly. "Remember: Practice makes perfect. So tell me about your adventure last year."

Scorpius, with a little help from Albus briefly explained about their adventure with the Time-Turner, how they got lost in time and how they stopped Delphi. By the time they had finished, Astoria was beaming at Scorpius with pride.

"You were _so_ brave," She said softly. "Especially in that dark timeline. I'm so proud of you. You're not that evil Scorpion King. You're good and kind and your Father and I are both happy how you turned out. You're Scorpius the heroic, you know."

Scorpius let out a small laugh and Albus shifted his feet uncomfortably and withdrew his arm from Scorpius.

"Mrs. Malfoy, I-I'm sorry for dragging Scorpius into all of that trouble," He said uncertainly. "I-I didn't think and I didn't know how dangerous Time Travel was and I never meant to endanger Scorpius."

"What's important is that you were able to get out of it," Astoria said wisely. "You were able to fix time and sort thing out with your Father. It's a pity that I couldn't join you. I would've had a few choice words to say to that Delphi girl, let me tell you."

Astoria's eyes seemed to shine fiercely and Scorpius and Albus both grinned at each other.

"There they are!" Called the all too familiar voice of Rose Granger-Weasley, making them both jump.

"I can't believe Rose followed us," Albus muttered angrily.

"Your Cousin's been worried about you," Astoria said to him. "She's got your parents looking for you. That's not all."

"Dad's here, isn't he?" Scorpius asked.

"Look behind you," Astoria said softly.

Scorpius and Albus both wheeled around and saw eight figures coming towards them, each with lighted wand points and Rose in front. Scorpius looked at the other seven and felt as if his entire stomach had dropped to the ground. Harry and Ginny Potter were there, both looking very pale and worried looking and both called Albus's name. The Minister for Magic herself, Hermione Granger and her Husband, Ron Weasley were also there. Ron was looking nervously around the clearing, clearly checking if there were any spiders lurking about. Rose was hanging back by her parents watching uncertainly. Scorpius saw Professor McGonagall behind Rose and felt as if he were going to be sick. He was _definitely_ in trouble now. Her mouth looked thinner than he had ever seen it.

" **SCORPIUS!** "

He saw his Dad with the Potters looking paler than usual.

"Scorpius Malfoy! Albus Potter!" Professor McGonagall called. "Come here at once and hand over this 'Resurrection Stone' before you freeze to death!"

"No!" Albus called back defiantly. "We're already using it, Professor!"

Scorpius had to admire Albus's nerve. Professor McGonagall's mouth went even more thinner and her nostrils flared.

"If you don't come here at once Potter, you will both be spending another _year_ in Detention!" She stormed.

"It's alright, Minerva," Draco said calmly. "Let me handle this.

"Draco, I really don't think-" Professor McGonagall began, but Harry cut across her.

"Let him do what he has to do," He said with a meaningful look at Draco who nodded at him.

Draco stepped forward towards the Boys, his robes billowing out behind him. Albus hung back allowing Draco to address Scorpius.

"Scorpius, what on earth do you think that you doing out here?" Draco asked him shakily. Scorpius shut his eyes again tightly, willing with every fibre of his being for Draco to see Astoria.

"Don't you know how cold- "He stopped with a gasp. Scorpius opened his eyes and saw his Father staring right at Astoria, with a mixture of surprise, elation and anguish on his both stood there for a moment before Draco spoke.

"Astoria," He said in a choked voice full of longing.

Astoria give him a radiant smile, eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Hello Draco," She smiled.

Draco stood rooted to the spot for a moment, unable to move. He seemed transfixed by Astoria's image.

"You look _so_ beautiful," He said after a moments pause, slowly moving towards Astoria and stretching his hand out to stroke her cheek. His right hand went straight through her like Scorpius's did and let out a small moan of anguish.

"And you're as dashing as ever, dear," Astoria winked. "Even though you are going a bit grey."

"What? Where?" Draco asked urgently, his left hand springing up to his hair. He stopped when he saw Astoria was laughing.

"You were always such an easy target," She chuckled. "Don't ever change, Draco."

"A lot _has_ changed, Astoria," Draco said solemnly. "And some changes, leave holes in our hearts that can _never_ be filled."

"Time heals all wounds, Draco," Astoria said.

"Not this one," Draco said, briefly placing his hand over his heart. Astoria smiled at him sadly.

"You could've married again," She said. "You could've moved on and met someone else."

"There will _never_ be anyone else," Draco said fiercely and Astoria beamed at him. "I've missed you, _so_ much, Astoria."

"I know," She said. "But you knew that that day would come sooner than you thought it would."

"That didn't make that day any easier," Draco said quietly. "I wasn't prepared for it."

"You made it easier by holding my hand," Astoria said. "Both you and Scorpius being there helped a lot."

"I always thought I was in the way," Scorpius said quietly. "I didn't know how to help."

"You were a brilliant help," Astoria beamed at him and Draco patted him on the shoulder. "I see you've been looking after my Roses," She said, turning to Draco.

"I've been following your specific set of instructions to the letter," Draco said. "And they brighten up the Manor grounds."

"And the Roof Garden, Dad," Scorpius chipped in. "We've been looking after the Roof Garden as Creeper Vine's been flourishing, Mum. "

"It seemed such a shame to let it all go to waste," Draco remarked. "I often go up there when I think of you. Your touches greatly improve the Manor "

"But we can show you, Mum," Scorpius said excitedly, the idea shooting through him. "Now that I have The Stone, we can talk more often. It'll be as if you're never dead."

Draco winced and Astoria looked at him sadly before looking at Draco. They seemed to be having one of their silent conversations that they used to have regularly back when his Mum was alive.

"I don't belong on your side of the veil anymore, Scorpius," Astoria said sadly. "I've moved on. I'm in no pain in the afterlife and it was my time to move on. I know that wasn't what you wanted to hear, sweetheart. You worked _so_ hard in trying to find this Stone, I know that, but you really must try and let go."

Scorpius felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had come all this way to find the Stone. He can't lose his Mother now.

"But we don't have to have you around _all_ the time," He reasoned, the panic slowly rising in him. "We could call you once a week or something. Once a month, once a year, maybe? As long as I get to see you again."

"We _will_ see each other again, Scorpius," Astoria smiled. "But you won't be able to stop using this Stone. You've got your own life ahead of you. Live it, and remember me. You can't stop death, Sweetheart and you can't reverse it. Drop this Stone before you become obsessed."

Scorpius thought she had a good point. But he didn't quite like the idea of letting go of his Mother so soon after he found her. Astoria seemed to know what he was thinking as smiled at him in that knowing way that she used to do.

"There's a time for living and a time for time letting go, Scorpius," She said softly, trying to pat him on the shoulder but her hand went through him. "My time is up and I am at peace. It's time that you let go. It's not your time to join me."

Scorpius opened his mouth, determined to argue, determined to have his Mother in his life once again when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He looked up and saw that it belonged to Draco.

"Your Mother's right, Scorpius." He said quietly. "We can't keep this Stone. This isn't living, what she's like now. I wouldn't be able to live like this, not being able to touch her. Being dependent on a Stone every time I want to see her. Let her rest in peace, Son. We did all we could for her. Like it or not, we have to let her go."

Tears welled up in Scorpius's eyes at Draco's words. He knew, deep down that Draco was right, but hearing the words seemed to increase the pain. He wanted to argue, to tell his Father that they could work something out, but he couldn't find a reasonable argument. He felt a hand on his arm and saw that it belonged to Albus. He had forgotten that Albus was with him.

"Scorpius, listen to them," He said quietly. "That Stone. It's got a bad effect on you. If you keep it, it'll only end up controlling your life. I don't want to lose you. Please, listen to them."

Scorpius looked at Albus and saw the worry in his brilliant green eyes. He felt a large surge of guilt and it was all he needed to know that he was being ridiculous about this. He couldn't keep the couldn't lose Draco. He couldn't lose Albus. He nodded and Albus smiled at him.

"Thank you," Astoria smiled at Albus. "You really are such an incredible young man. Promise me that you will continue to take such good care of my Son. You two are stronger when you are together. "

"Of-Of course I will, Mrs. Malfoy," Albus said, wrapping his arms around Scorpius's shoulders once more. "Scorpius means the world to me."

Scorpius's face grew rather hot for a moment and something warm was blossoming in the pit of his stomach. It felt like butterflies were bouncing around, but it was instantly replaced with a deep sadness and the realisation of what he must do. But it was difficult. It was as if his fingers holding the small cold Stone were frozen to it. He saw Draco smile and pat Albus's shoulder before looking at Astoria once more.

"I would've sold my soul to spend another moment with you," Draco said softly.

"Promise me you won't get lonely in the future, Draco," Astoria said seriously. "Don't shut yourself away in the Manor whilst Scorpius is at Hogwarts. Take care of yourself, for me. You have friends now. You don't need to hide from anyone anymore."

"Anything for you, Astoria," Draco said, steeling himself. "I had to keep myself from using my Father's Time- Turner just to see you again. Seeing you here, looking well and whole again, is the best thing that could happen to me. You have, and will forever be my Light in the Darkness. Goodbye Astoria, and thank you."

"Until we meet again, Draco." Astoria smiled at him and Draco smiled back.

Tears were streaming down Scorpius's cheeks. He wanted to tell his Mum how much her absence weighed down upon him, how unfair it was that she had to leave them. But he couldn't find his voice. Instead he took a deep breath.

"I love you, Mum," He choked out. He knew now that he had to drop the Stone, but his fingers were still curled around it and wouldn't move. He felt Albus's hand touch his own, warming his fingers up and giving him the strength to do what must be done.

"Goodbye, Scorpius. I love you too, sweetheart." Astoria said softly, her face wearing a bright smile. Scorpius's fingers uncurled and the Stone slid out of his hands and his Mother vanished as if she were smoke.

Silence filled the clearing and Scorpius became aware of how cold it was again. It was as if his Mother kept the cold away. Clouds had covered the moon again, bringing the clearing into darkness once more. He was suddenly aware that it was snowing again. Small flurries began settling in his hair, like the weather was crying as well. But he didn't care about that at the moment. He could still see his Mother's face smiling at him and he wanted to memorise it forever.

He was unaware of Albus placing an arm around his shoulders again or of Draco trying see if he was alright. He felt numb as he stared at the ground, unable to stop his tears from splashing into the snow. Draco wrapped an arm around his shoulders and Albus withdrew. Scorpius turned around and hugged Draco, taking him briefly by surprise before he pulled Scorpius closer. Scorpius clung to him, letting out all his bottled up emotions as Draco patted him on the back like he used to do when Scorpius was little.

"I know, Scorpius," Draco said softly, his voice shaking. "I miss her too."

They stood like that for a moment, both Father and Son grieving for the Wife and Mother that they had lost, just like they should've done when Astoria died, Scorpius noted.

He heard movement and the others discussing things that he didn't care about. His Mother's face seemed to be imprinted in his mind and he wanted it in there as long as possible. He heard someone shout Albus's name and light footsteps scurrying in the snow before Albus let out a cry of surprise.

"Mum, geroff me," Albus yelped. "I'm fine."

"You scared us to death," Ginny said. "Where's your cloak?"

Scorpius gently untangled himself from Draco to see Ginny Potter giving Albus a fierce hug. With shaking fingers, unfastened Albus's cloak and handed it over to Ginny who let go of Albus who looked relieved that he wasn't being hugged fiercely by his Mother anymore.

"Albus was just trying to keep me warm, Mrs. Potter," Scorpius said shakily. "I didn't want him to be silly, but he insisted."

Ginny's face softened.

"Oh, Scorpius are you alright, dear?" Ginny asked him softly, gently taking the cloak from him.

Scorpius shrugged: He felt a such wide range of emotions, that it was difficult for him to put it all into words. Draco patted his shoulder.

"He will be," He said hoarsely to Ginny. "He just needs time. We both do."

"I am truly sorry for your loss, Scorpius," Ginny said. "You would be more than welcome around ours during the holidays."

"That would be fitting, I think." Draco smiled at her as Harry Potter came hurrying over, face looking like death.

"Albus are you alright?" He asked urgently.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Dad," Albus said. "I was just keeping Scorpius company. I couldn't leave him to go out alone, could I?"

"You look cold," Harry said. "And wet. And is that mud that you're covered in?"

"Yeah I think it is," Albus said sheepishly. Scorpius couldn't help smiling at him.

"Here," Harry said flicking his wand and drying Albus, before turning his wand on Scorpius and drying him as well. Scorpius savoured the instant warmth and the absence of the depressing chill.

"Th-thank you, Mr. Harry Potter, sir," Scorpius stammered, feeling very nervous all of a sudden. What if Harry decided to separate them again?

"You're welcome, Scorpius," Harry said, smiling at him. "It's good to see you safe." He added, patting him on the shoulder.

"Dad, did we scare you?" Albus asked Harry shrewdly, eyes narrowed and looking very tense all of a sudden.

"Of course you did, Albus," Harry said, his voice shaking. "I was terrified. It was like Godric's Hollow all over again."

Albus untensed and smiled at Harry, before launching himself at him, tackling him in a big hug. Harry hugged Albus back just as fiercely and they both looked as if they would never let go of one another. Scorpius knew that it was harder for Harry to be here than it was for Albus. He was the one who was hit by the Killing Curse here after all.

"I think perhaps we should return to the School," Professor McGonagall said, walking over and causing Harry and Albus to break apart. "I want Madam Pomfrey to check on the boys. Just in case they need to spend a night in the Hospital Wing."

"So we're not in trouble then?" Albus asked her hopefully, causing Scorpius to crack a smile.

"I haven't decided yet, Potter." Professor McGonagall said coolly, glaring at him. She clearly hadn't forgiven him for his defiance earlier.

"Professor McGonagall," Scorpius said thickly. "Please don't punish Albus. This was all my idea. Albus was just trying to stop me doing something stupid. I-if you punish Albus, then you will have to punish me, too."

Professor McGonagall's face softened as she surveyed him. He was sure that she gave him a small smile. Her mouth looked less thin at any rate.

"I think that we should discuss this when we are back at the School, Scorpius." She said softly, patting his arm. "And it's good to see you in one piece."

"That Blizzard's coming back," Ron said as the wind picked up again, blowing snow into their faces. "I don't fancy our chances walking back to the Castle in this weather. We'd be frozen solid before we reach the front doors and that's even if we make our way through the Forest. Surely we can create a Portkey? That'd get us there faster."

Hermione considered this and nodded.

"We'd be able to avoid the Blizzard and be able to get back to the office without having to go back through the Forest," Hermione said slowly. "That's good thinking, Ron!" She beamed, kissing him on the cheek.

"Always the tone of surprise," Ron muttered, ears turning red but looking very pleased with himself as Rose was scowling at her Parents.

"That is, of course Minerva doesn't have any objections?" Hermione asked, looking at Professor McGonagall

"None whatsoever, Minister." Professor McGonagall said briskly. "We should get back to the Castle as soon as possible."

"Right, no time to waste, then," Hermione said, summoning a fallen branch. She tapped it with her wand and muttered " _Portus_ " The branch glowed bright blue and Hermione beckoned to everyone.

"Everyone gather round," She said bossily. "We don't have much time before it leaves and we need to get out of this Blizzard as soon as possible."

Ginny gently ushered Scorpius to the branch whilst Harry was guiding Albus. He saw Rose giving him a concerned look as they gathered around the branch. It was definitely pity this time, he noted but he wasn't in the mood to care much. It was as if his desire to impress Rose belonged to a different person. Draco stood on his other side and placed a comforting hand on Scorpius's shoulder.

"Okay everyone on the count of three," Hermione said loudly. Everyone reached out to touch the branch. "One, Two, Three"

Scorpius felt a jerk behind his navel and a rush of colour sped before his eyes as they were lifted off the Forest floor and heading back to Hogwarts as just the Blizzard overwhelmed the clearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took longer for me to edit. Apologies for the longer than usual wait.


	11. Chapter 11

Professor McGonagall's Office couldn't have been warmer. Everyone was given a cup of warm, sweet Tea and some Ginger Newts from the Tartan tin, as Madam Pomfrey came bustling in to check up on Scorpius and Albus. She declared that they were fine but forced a bottle of Pepperup Potion down their throats which caused their ears to steam.

Scorpius was later curled up in an armchair by the roaring fire, savouring its warmth and listening to the howling wind outside, pleased that he was finally out of the bitter cold. The feeling was returning in his face.

Draco stood behind him with a protective hand on Scorpius's armchair and the pair of them were watching the others. Hermione was telling Ron off for eating too many Ginger Newts and Rose was shaking her head despairingly. Ginny was fussing over Albus and Harry was talking quietly to Professor McGonagall, both of them glancing over at Scorpius.

"Mum, I'm fine!" Albus said loudly as Ginny turned her saucer into a large brush and began attacking the many layers of Albus's Jumpers with it.

"You're covered in mud!" Ginny cried as she continued her relentless assault on Albus's Jumpers. "And drink your Tea," She added.

"It's hard to drink anything when you're attacking me with that thing," Albus said grumpily, wearily eying the brush in Ginny's hand.

"He looks fine to me, Gin," Harry said as he moved away from Professor McGonagall who went and sat behind her desk. Ginny relaxed and turned the brush back into a saucer and Albus tensed as Harry sat next to him, drinking some Tea.

"Dad," Albus said in a strained voice. "I went out to help Scorpius. He was really missing his Mum and it's unfair that she died and I couldn't just let him go out there alone. I had to help him."

Harry put down his Tea and gave Albus a searching look.

"I know," Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You're a good friend, Albus. I'm proud of you for helping Scorpius the way you did."

Scorpius smiled to himself and couldn't help but nod at that. He saw Albus looking less tense and a pleased smile forming across his face.

"But you gave us quite the scare!" Ginny exclaimed. "It was like Godric's Hollow all over again!"

Albus shrinked back from Ginny and Scorpius felt a strong pang of sadness and regret; He had caused the Potters to worry about Albus accompanying him in the Forest. He had seen the worry in both their faces in the clearing. Were they were going blame him for putting their Son in danger? He let out a small sniffle that he tried to hide. However, it was loud enough for everyone in the Office to hear and he felt eighteen pairs of eyes on him. Draco sank down into the chair next to him and patted his shoulder before drinking his tea and staring into space.

Albus made to get up, but Ginny rose from her seat before him and gently made her way over to Scorpius.

"Drink your Tea, Scorpius," She said gently. "It'll help you warm up."

Scorpius uncurled and sat up before touching his Teacup and taking a sip of Tea. The hot liquid seeped down his throat and helped bring him some well needed warmth to his stomach.

"Is that your snowman out there?" Ginny asked softly. "It's very good, and very tall."

"Albus made it," Scorpius said in a small voice. "I just helped."

"We _both_ built it, mate," Albus said, looking at him with concern. "It was your idea."

"I didn't tell my Mum about it," Scorpius said sadly, fiddling with the sleeve of his Jumper. "She would've liked him. She used to like building snowmen. I didn't get to speak to her for long. I don't think she even wanted to see me."

"Don't be silly, "Ginny chided him gently. "I'm sure she was pleased to see you. I would've been if that was me."

"I wouldn't have found the Stone without Albus," Scorpius mumbled quietly. "He was brilliant. I would've frozen to death without him." He suddenly felt a strong surge of guilt bubble up at the thought of worrying Ginny. She had always been so nice to him and accepting him as Albus's friend without question. Seeing her face looking so pale in the clearing made him feel terrible.

" I'm sorry for worrying you by taking Albus with me Mrs. Potter," He said thickly. "I should've known about the Blizzard. I thought it was tomorrow night. I didn't mean to put us in danger."

"Oh, Scorpius," Ginny sighed softly. "The important thing is that you're both safe."

Tears blurred Scorpius's vision. He felt weak and pathetic. He was also angry with himself for trusting the Stone and thinking that he could've had his Mother back. Ginny gently pulled him in for a hug, which he melted into immediately. It had been quite and while since he was hugged like this and It reminded him a lot of the ones his Mother used to give him, the one that she _couldn't_ give him tonight. A faint flowery scent filled his nostrils as he clung to Ginny, desperate to hold onto the memory of his Mother in the clearing. Her face, her voice, her radiant appearance. All his worries seemed to melt away as he he hugged her, thinking of his Mother.

Hushed voices were heard and Ginny gently let go of Scorpius and he could see Harry, Ron and Hermione gathered together and they seemed to be arguing and none of them seemed to be bothering to keep their voices down.

"Do you have to ask him tonight, Harry?" Hermione whispered. "Let the poor boy rest, for heaven's sake."

"We can't leave it, Hermione!" Ron muttered angrily. "What if he's kept it like he did the Time-Turner? We have to ask him now."

"He's obviously gone through quite an ordeal, Ron!" Hermione hissed. "He needs rest. Not having questions fired at him!"

"Look," Harry whispered tiredly. "We can't put this off, but we shouldn't interrogate him. We should see how he is. He's been through a lot. He needs someone to check up on him."

None of them seemed aware that the whole Office was listening in on their conversation. Albus tensed up, looking at Harry with suspicion and Draco bristled, putting a protective hand on Scorpius's shoulder. Before Hermione could say another word, Harry made a beeline for Scorpius and Ginny moved out of the way. Scorpius tensed as well, remembering the time that Harry had separated him from Albus. Could Harry be about to do it again? Harry reached Scorpius's chair and crouched down so that his face was level with Scorpius's and Scorpius looked into his face.

It was exactly like Albus's, although far rougher and it was littered with faint scars from many battles long past. On closer inspection, Scorpius could see that he looked tired, however his famous green eyes, exactly like Albus's were sparkled with concern. Scorpius willed himself to not stare at the lightning scar on Harry's forehead as he remembered that Harry didn't like that.

"Are you okay, Scorpius?" Harry asked softly. "Warming up? It was freezing out there, wasn't it? At least you didn't have to jump in a frozen pond like I did. Not something I'd be willing to try again."

Scorpius gave Harry a smile and a tiny nod and Harry shifted, looking like he was steeling himself for something.

"Listen, Scorpius," He sighed heavily, running a hand through his messy hair. "When we were out in the clearing and you had the Stone. Did you by any chance-?"

"I dropped it," Scorpius said abruptly, slightly surprised that his voice sounded normal. "Back in the clearing. I'm not lying this time. Look."

He twisted in his chair and turned his pockets inside out, revealing only his wand. Hermione threw Ron an angry glare.

"I told you," She hissed at him.

Harry looked rather relieved at Scorpius's news.

"That's good," He nodded. "I think it's for the best if it remains in the Forest. I want you to promise to me that you won't go looking for it again."

"I promise," Scorpius said at once. "I don't want to use that thing again."

"Objects like that can have a terrible influence on a Wizard," Harry said. "They can change them, and sometimes if they're not careful, they could waste away."

"I know," Scorpius mumbled. "Back at the clearing, I didn't want to drop the Stone. I wanted to hold onto it forever, to keep my Mum with me all the time. It was only Albus who was able to talk some sense into me. You must think I'm stupid. I think it makes me stupid, obsessing over a Stone."

"I think that it makes you human," Harry said gently. "To miss someone like that, to suffer. It's the most human thing imaginable, and that's what separates us from people like Voldemort. Not a day goes by where I don't miss my Parents."

Harry seemed to stare off into to space for a moment and Scorpius remembered that night in Godric's Hollow hearing Lily Potter's screams as she pleaded to Voldemort to spare her Son. The Office was silent, save for the whistling of the wind outside and the crackling of the flames in the fireplace.

Have you ever read the Tale of the Three Brothers?" Harry asked suddenly. Scorpius nodded.

"That's one of my favourites," He said, not sure where this conversation was heading.

"I like that one, as well," Ron said wistfully. "Probably the best of Beedle the Bard. I really like-"

" _Shh,_ " Hermione and Rose both said, glaring at Ron who fell promptly silent.

"Anyway, The Stone in the Three Brothers happens to be the Resurrection Stone," Harry said. " As you know, the Second Brother used it to bring back the girl that he was going to marry. He even lived with her for a while, but as time went by she grew more distant and sadder as she didn't belong with the living anymore. Eventually, he ended up taking his own life in order to join her in the afterlife."

Everyone was listening to Harry with rapt attention now. Even the portraits had stopped snoring.

"Dwelling on dreams," Harry continued sombrely. "Forgetting to live, it's not good for you, Scorpius. Believe me, I know what it's like. I almost wasted away in front of a Mirror, seeing the one thing that I could never have. You're not the first person to be tempted by the Stone. It can tempt even the oldest and wisest of Wizards."

Harry's head turned to the empty portrait behind Professor McGonagall's desk.

"Albus Dumbledore," Scorpius said quietly, suddenly understanding what Harry meant.

"You're never too old to miss someone," Harry said sadly. "And you never stop missing them. But some are better at coping at it than others."

"Harry's right," Professor McGonagall said softly. "I have lost many friends and loved ones during my years. Far too many for my liking. A lot of whom I miss every day. I too, would be tempted to use this Stone."

"I would've probably have been tempted to use it to bring Fred back," Ron said. "But then again, he was always so full of life that it would be weird seeing him as a shadow of himself."

"I think he'd find seeing us look older than him to be hilarious," Ginny said sadly.

"You used the Stone," Scorpius said suddenly to Harry. He wasn't being accusatory, but merely stating a fact. "During the Battle of Hogwarts. You brought your parents back.

"I don't think I was calling them, "Harry said thoughtfully. It was more like they were… calling me, so I could join them. Obviously that part didn't work out as intended. But the dead who loved us, they never truly leave us. Not really. And when you need them, you can find them right here."

Harry reached his hand out and briefly placed it over Scorpius's heart. Scorpius teared up again, thinking of the thirteen year old boy that he had read about conjuring his first Patronus in the form of his Father as a Stag. Harry dug his hands in his pockets and handed him a tissue.

"Will you be alright?" He asked as Scorpius dabbed at his eyes.

Scorpius nodded. Now that he was warmed up and had something eat and drink, he felt a little less shaken, but he found it difficult to get the image of his Mother's radiant face out of his head. However the thought of seeing his Mother look so well was a comforting thought.

"I will be," Scorpius said truthfully. "Thank you." Harry smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Glad to hear it," He said getting up with a small groan and straightening his back. "You're a good lad, Scorpius. I know you'll pull through just fine."

Scorpius beamed at Harry as Draco stood up and extended his hand out to him.

"Thank you," He said hoarsely, shaking Harry's hand. Harry looked taken aback briefly before relaxing.

"Will you be okay, Draco?" Harry asked him.

"I've spent the last two years of my life, stricken with grief and unable to fully move on," Draco said. "Knowing that my Wife is indeed in a better place has made me far happier than I've ever thought possible. But you're right; The Stone should remain where it is. Having it around permanently wouldn't be good for any of us."

"I think, Draco," Professor McGonagall said. "That you and Scorpius have some things that you need to talk about and make sure that nothing like this happens again."

Draco exhaled, running a hand through his long hair.

"Yes," He sighed. "You're right, Minerva." He turned to Scorpius, who noted that he looked quite dishevelled, rather unlike his usual elegant self.

"Scorpius," He said heavily. "This is all my fault. I should've talked to you more about your Mother. I could see that you were missing her and I did nothing to help you. I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry, too, Dad," Scorpius said, standing up. "I'm sorry that I shut myself away and didn't try to talk to you about it. The truth is that I didn't think that I was ready to talk. I wanted to talk, but I couldn't find the right words. I don't think that I didn't want to admit that Mum was gone."

"I didn't want to admit that either," Draco said. "I would shut myself away in my Study for days, refusing to accept that she was gone. Thinking that it was a sick joke being played on me by this cruel, cruel world."

"It's easy to shut yourself away," Harry said. "But you have to remind yourself that the person you lost wouldn't want that. Sometimes, you have to force yourself to go on, even if it's the last thing that you want to do."

"I've always found it more bearable when you miss someone together," Ginny said, standing next to Harry who put an arm around her. "You two shouldn't have to miss her alone. You have each other and I think that's what Astoria would've wanted."

Scorpius and Draco both looked at each other. They had avoided the subject of Astoria for so long. The possibility of discussing her together was a daunting one, but Scorpius thought that it was a conversation that he ought to have.

"Well said, Ginny," Professor McGonagall said approvingly. "Perhaps it would be best if Scorpius should stay with you for the weekend, Draco? You clearly have many things that you need to talk through with one another. I want you to stay in the Hospital Wing tonight though, Scorpius. A Dreamless Sleep Potion will prevent any nightmares. Loosing someone is always difficult as is coping with that loss. There will be no punishment. As Harry said, older and wiser Wizards have been tempted by this Stone. My Office is always open should you ever need me."

Albus opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Professor McGonagall cut across him.

" _Yes_ , Potter I think you should stay with him," She sighed. "After all, the pair of you are inseparable. Something I haven't seen since…"

She glanced over at Harry, Ron and Hermione and her mouth twitching into a small smile.

"I think that would be for the best," Draco said, walking over to Albus and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you," He added. "For all you did for Scorpius, for us. Astoria was right. You are indeed incredible and the best friend that Scorpius could have. I hope you don't mind that I take Scorpius off your hands for the weekend. I have a lot of things to discuss with him but we would be glad to have you for another weekend, providing that your Parents approve."

He looked uncertainly at Harry and Ginny.

"Of course," Ginny said at once.

"You'd be welcome to have him," Harry smiled. "And we'd be welcome to have you both round ours. Perhaps we could have a drink as well?"

"I'm sure we can arrange it all in a few weeks' time, but thank you." Draco said, nodding at Harry before turning to Rose.

"And as for you, Miss Granger-Weasley," He said. "If it wasn't for you, I don't think any of this would be possible. You deserve a massive thank you from me. I'm sure it must've been rather difficult for you, worrying about Scorpius and Albus. I am very impressed with the way you handled the situation."

"You're welcome, Mr. Malfoy," Rose said quietly as she shook Draco's hand, as Ron and Hermione beamed with pride.

"Rose was worried about you," Ginny said seriously to Albus. "She tried to warn you, but you brushed her off earlier."

"Oh," Albus said tonelessly. "Right."

"We wouldn't have found you two if it wasn't for Rose," Harry said, looking pointedly at Albus.

Albus looked rather guilty under his parents pointed glares. Ginny motioned that he approach Rose. Albus got up reluctantly and shuffled towards Rose.

"Thanks, Rose," He said gruffly, not looking at her. "And I'm sorry about earlier."

"That's quite alright, Albus," Rose said with dignity. "And I'm sorry about dismissing the Resurrection Stone. You were right. It does exist, I was wrong and I'm sorry about the way that I approached you. It's just that after everything that happened last year, I was worried that something might happen to you again."

Albus's eyes met Rose's and he nodded.

"Thank you, Rose," Scorpius said warmly, breaking the moment between the two Cousins.

"Well, I'd better get going," Ron said, standing up. "Anyone want any food? It's been ages since I've been to the Kitchens. Hermione?"

"I've got to go over a few things with Professor McGonagall, Ron," Hermione said.

" _Later_ ," Ron said pointedly. "I'm sure Minerva needs her rest what with that Blizzard and everything. Come and have a Chocolate Eclair. I used to love those at Hogwarts."

"Trust you to remember the food," Hermione said fondly.

"Perhaps you could take Rose back to her Dormitory, Ronald?" Professor McGonagall said. "You did well today." She added, smiling at Rose.

"Yep, well done, Rosie," Ron said. "Blimey, it's been ages since I've seen the Gryffindor Common Room. You coming, Harry? Take a trip down memory lane?"

"Nah, I'll pass," Harry said. "I've taken enough trips down memory lane recently."

"Fair enough," Ron shrugged, making his way over to Draco and Scorpius. "My condolences, Draco," He said briskly. Draco gave him a curt nod.

"Thank you, Weasley," Draco said curtly, extending his hand and shaking Ron's. "I mean Ronald," He corrected himself.

"Nice of you to remember my name," Ron said with a smirk, before turning to Scorpius.

"Take care of yourself, Scorpius." He said, clapping him on the back. "And no more scaring your Dad, okay? He was worried sick about you."

"Okay," Scorpius smiled. Ron reached his hand out and shook Scorpius's. When he withdrew, Scorpius noted that he had a small bar of Honeydukes Chocolate clutched in his hand. He looked up at Ron, smiling and intending to say 'thank you', only to find Ron giving him a small wink.

"Come on, Rosie," Ron said, beckoning Rose out of the Office. Just as Ron was in the doorway, he stuck his head around the Office doorway.

"This is the second time that something from our past has come up," He said. "Funny how our past is biting us on the backside all of a sudden."

He disappeared around the corner and shut the door with a _snap_. Hermione leaned back in her chair and sighed.

"He's impossible," She said, shaking her head with an amused smile on her face. "Right most of the time, but impossible. I think we're done here, Minerva. The worst of the Blizzard has passed so you don't need us here."

"Why don't you accompany your Husband to the Kitchens, Hermione?" Professor McGonagall asked, peering at Hermione over her square spectacles. "You look as if you've had a long day. I can handle things from here."

"Well, if you're sure, Minerva," Hermione said getting to her feet again and making her way to Draco and Scorpius. "Good luck, you two. I really hope things go well for you both."

"Thank you, Minister," Draco said. "For all you have done."

"I'm really sorry about Astoria, Draco," Hermione said earnestly. "I hope you're not-"

"Everything worked out fine," Draco said calmly. "We both know where to go after this. Getting there won't be easy, but we'll manage it. After all, we have each other."

Draco put his arm around Scorpius's shoulder.

"Would you like a Toffee, Scorpius?" Hermione asked, digging her hands in her pockets and retrieving a small paper bag and handing it to him. Scorpius took out a fat Toffee.

"Th-thank you, Minister," He stammered, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the acts of kindness that he was receiving. Hermione smiled at him kindly.

"Here, take the whole bag," She said gently, handing him the bag. "I'll make some more. No doubt Ron has given you some Chocolate as well. Now I'd better stop that Husband of mine from eating all the food in the Kitchens. These crises just never stop."

With a last smile at Draco and Scorpius, Hermione dashed from the Office with a swish of her cloak.

"Well I think you boys should make your way to the Hospital Wing," Professor McGonagall said, looking at Scorpius and Albus. "It's been a long day for you both and need your rest."

"That's right," Ginny agreed, peering at Albus. "You both look exhausted."

"I'm not tired," Albus said defensively, stifling a yawn with the back of his hand. Ginny narrowed her eyes and Scorpius let out a giggle.

"That's what they all say," Ginny said drily. "Come on, move."

"And I'll have James's Cloak back, Albus," Harry said, holding out his hand. "I hope you found it useful?"

"Uh, yeah. We did," Albus said sheepishly, pulling out the Cloak and handing it to Harry. "We used it to avoid to Centaurs."

"Well at least you prepared for your trip," Professor McGonagall said, rising from her desk. "But if I ever catch you in another Common Room again without permission, Albus Potter, I shall change my mind about punishing you. Now come along, you should be in the Hospital Wing."

Albus went over to Scorpius and engulfed him in a big hug. Scorpius hugged him back fiercely. No words were needed to be exchanged between them. The knowledge that Albus was here for him was enough.

They parted and Draco put his hand on Scorpius's shoulder, leading him out of the Office. He felt a lot warmer now, and much happier after his chat with Harry. But he realised that he was very tired after his trip to the Forest. The only thing that he needed now, was his bed.


	12. Epilogue: Part 1

Temperatures around the Castle started to improve as January turned into February and the Snow started to melt gradually, before being completely melted by the time March arrived where the melted snow had turned the ground water-logged and sodden under foot. A number of tiny flowers were popping up marking the start of Spring. Professor Longbottom was seen tending the Vegetable patch after the extremely harsh January had caused a lot of damage to it. Meanwhile, O,W,Ls and N,E,W,Ts were closer than ever and the Library was becoming more and more crowded during the day as many Fifth and Seventh Years began hastily revising for their exams. Even James Potter was spotted revising in the corner, running a hand through his messy hair as he was trying to read from five different books at once.

March also brought in more milder weather and Egbert the snowman eventually melted, much to Lily's dismay.

"After all that hard work I put into it, it's such a shame to see him melt like that," she sighed sadly in the Library one afternoon. Albus, who was helping Hugo with his Potions Homework, jerked his head up irritably.

" _Excuse me_ ," He said incredulously. "But it was me and Scorpius who built the thing."

"It was a team effort, Al," Lily giggled. "You two built him and we decorated him for you."

"And you did a good job, Lily," Scorpius smiled from the other end of the table where he was working on his Transfiguration essay.

"Thank you," Lily smiled at him. "I'm sorry about your Mum, by the way."

"Thanks," Scorpius smiled. "And I'm sorry about Egbert."

"I'm not," Hugo grumbled. "Lily's been going on and on about that stupid snowman so much, that it's been driving me crazy. It's _mental_ , I tell you."

Lily burst into an uncontrollable fit of the giggles and had to bring her hands to her mouth to stifle them.

"He _did_ help us during the Blizzard," Albus said slowly, ignoring Lily's giggling. "I have to admit, I'm sorry to see him melt."

"Will you keep it down?" James growled, sticking his head out from between the nearest bookshelf. "Fred and I are trying to revise back here!"

"What's this?" Albus smirked. "James in the Library? I'm surprised you even know where it is."

"Those NEWTS are pure torture," James sighed dramatically. "You wait till you have to sit them. These exams redefine the very definition of pain and suffering."

"Stop being so melodramatic, James," Lily sighed.

"You haven't even sat your OWLs yet," James shot back. "So you don't know what you're talking about. I'm telling you, you're in for hours and hours of misery and brain draining torture."

"Dominique says that you should be fine if you don't leave all your studying to the last minute," Lily said simply, giggling as James's expression turned grumpy and he muttered something about bossy cousins who knew it all. Albus and Hugo were also smirking at James and he moved around to Scorpius.

"How're you doing, Scorpius?" James asked, placing a heavy hand on Scorpius's shoulder and ignoring Albus, Hugo and Lily who were still laughing at him. "Are you fine and dandy today, mate?"

"Err...Yes. Something like that," Scorpius smiled up at him.

"Mum and Dad told me about your little adventure," James said gently. "I'm sorry about your Mum. I would've let you borrow the Cloak if you asked for it, you know." He added, looking pointedly at Albus who scowled at him.

"Yeah right," Albus scoffed. "You would've laughed in my face and then have told me to get lost."

"Oh come on, Albus," James snorted. "I may have been a little toerag in the past, but I'm not _completely_ heartless. I would've understood."

"Oh," Albus said blankly, looking at his Brother as if he's never seen him before. "You- you should probably sort your trunk out, though. You're quite an easy person to steal from."

"Good to know," James said drily as Lily giggled and Hugo shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"I know I said that I wouldn't tell anyone that I saw you in our Common Room, Albus, but Rose looked really frantic," Hugo said.

"Don't worry about it," Albus said gruffly, checking Hugo's work and making small corrections to it. "It's in the past."

"Trust you two to go out in the middle of that Blizzard though," James grinned at them. "You always get into the thick of things. At least Egbert saved you. Let it be known as his heroic act before he melted. We will never forget you, Egbert."

Albus rolled his eyes as Lily burst into another fit of the giggles. Hugo sank in his seat and groaned. Scorpius was laughing as well.

"It's a snowman," Hugo moaned. "It's a blooming, stinking snowman. Get some perspective, please."

"Yeah, maybe it was a Snowman," James conceded. "But we had a lot of fun working on him and it helped saved their lives." He nodded at Scorpius and Albus.

"I'm sorry to see him go. But he wouldn't have melted if he was called Voldy, though." James finished with a cheeky grin. Scorpius laughed as three screwed up balls of parchment hit James in the chest.

Scorpius was quite sorry to see the snowman melt as well, but he knew that these things weren't meant to last long.

Since being taken to the Hospital Wing after his journey into the Forest, he had spent the initial weekend with his Father where they had opened up to one another and had properly talked about Astoria's death. Scorpius thought that it was well needed and for the first time since Astoria had died, he had felt that he had connected with Draco. He had spent quite a few weekends with his Father and Draco had allowed Albus to come over one weekend where they spent a memorable weekend, talking and laughing with each other.

He had received a lot of letters of support from Harry and Ginny Potter as well as from Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Hermione had sent him another fat pack of Toffees, whilst Ron had sent him a number of Weasley's Wizards Wheezes products as well a discount. Ginny had sent him weekly letters of encouragement whilst Harry had sent him a touching letter. Scorpius had shown Albus the letter and Albus had read it with a smile. The Potters had invited Scorpius over to their house one weekend and he and Albus had spent the afternoon with Harry and Ginny making snowmen in their back garden. These simple gestures of kindness meant a lot to Scorpius, who felt that they were a great help to him.

* * *

There was a sleepy silence in The Owlery as the late Spring sunshine shone through the windows giving the place a golden glow. Its feathered inhabitants were mainly asleep with their heads under their wings after spending a long night hunting or otherwise recovering from a very long delivery. The quiet solitude was soon disturbed as the Owlery door banged open as Scorpius and Albus made their way through, breathless with laughter.

"I can't believe you just did that," Albus laughed. "Only a _complete nerd_ would memorise all thirty-seven Ministers for Magic, come up with a _dorky_ song, and then sing it to ask the current Minister's Daughter out. That is just the height of _geekiness_! I mean, after all that planning, all that hard work coming up with that song, after all that-"

"She still said no," Scorpius finished for him, still feeling awestruck at his own daring. Albus threw his head back and roared with laughter and the sound echoed around the Owlery, causing a few Owls to hoot indignantly at him.

"Talk about playing hard to get," Scorpius chuckled, watching Albus laugh and grinning at the sight. "But it's only a matter of time before she falls for me and together, we shall build our Palace of _Lurve_."

"Still as delusional as ever, I see," Albus said drily after he stopped laughing. "I thought she would've moved beyond pity by now," He grinned, nudging Scorpius with his elbow. "It still looks like you've got a lot of work ahead of you."

"Well, I never said that it was going to be easy," Scorpius laughed, nudging Albus back. "It's still going to take _years_ and _years_ for me to persuade Rose at the rate I'm going. You could still probably get a girlfriend before I do, though. I'll try not to get jealous."

"And leave you all alone?" Albus scoffed. "I'm _never_ doing that."

"Well if you're going to be an eligible bachelor with me, who am I to stop you?" Scorpius grinned. "Could I borrow your Owl, please?" He asked. "I've got a letter to send to your parents."

"You're writing to my Mum and Dad?" Albus asked him, raising an eyebrow. "That's weird."

"It's a thank you letter," Scorpius said, taking out a thick envelope from the inside of his robes and showing Albus. "They've been so kind to me since we came back from the Forest. They didn't have to invite us both round your House for that weekend. Your Mum was so nice making sure I get second helpings of everything and it was really quite fun building that Snowman with your Dad."

"And then you had to spoil it by naming him Harry Junior," Albus said, shaking his head at Scorpius with a fond smile on his face.

"Your Dad liked it though," Scorpius said. "I think he was quite touched by it."

"Yeah, he was," Albus snorted. "It was hard to tell who was having more fun in the snow: You, or my Dad. But yeah, that's a kind thing to do. I think my Parents would appreciate that."

Albus smiled at Scorpius and took the letter from him and called his Tawny Owl down and began tying his letter to her before sending her off. They both stood there watching her fly away, a comfortable silence settling between them.

"It'll be a nice night for a ' _Romantic stroll in the Moonlight_ '," Albus grinned, nudging Scorpius again. "You should ask Rose."

"HA!" Scorpius said sarcastically, nudging Albus in the ribs. Albus nudged him back and a mini shoving fight ensured with a lot of laughter. The Owlery Door opened and both boys wheeled around to see Rose standing in the doorway with a look of puzzlement on her face. There was a moments silence as they all looked at each other before Rose opened her mouth.

"Um… Hi," She said uncertainly, still hovering by the doorway.

" _Well Hello_ ," Scorpius said in a posh, overly seductive voice, swooshing his robes around him extravagantly, causing Albus to double up with laughter.

"I've come to see if you're alright," Rose said, looking at Scorpius.

"Why yes, I'm fine and dandy," Scorpius beamed. "Bright and breezy, super and duper, never better, on top of the world. Well not really the world but almost on top of the Castle. Err… how are you?"

"Fine, thank you," Rose said stiffly before walking two steps into the Owlery.

"So. How about you and I go and have a walk around the lake, and then we can go out and have a drink at Madam Pudditfoot's for some Coffee?" Scorpius asked in that posh, overly seductive tone that made Albus stuff his fist into his mouth to keep himself from laughing. "Or Tea if you don't like Coffee. I mean I find it to be quite bitter. And then, if you want we could have that Romantic Stroll in the Moonlight."

He fluttered his eyelashes at her and leaned against the window and slipped on a loose piece of straw on the stone floor and fell flat on his face, flailing his arms in the air. Albus roared with laughter and Scorpius glared up at his so-called _friend_ who was _supposed_ to be helping him up. Albus extended his hand to pull Scorpius up and Scorpius pulled on Albus's arm, pulling him over onto Scorpius's lap.

" _Scorpius!_ " Albus yelped as he landed on Scorpius. Rose was watching them with an amused smile on her face.

"I see you're back to normal," Rose remarked drily, looking down at the tangle of limbs as Scorpius and Albus tried to get up from the stone floor. "Or as normal as possible as for you to be. I'm afraid I'm too busy revising for my OWLs at the moment. Maybe the _two_ of you could join me?"

She looked pointedly down at Albus who was trying to shove off Scorpius's elbow that was digging into his ribs.

Scorpius finally untangled himself from Albus and bounced up eagerly. Albus got gingerly to his feet and Scorpius noted that he had a piece of straw in his hair making him look like a Scarecrow. Scorpius reached over and gently brushed it out of his hair and Albus gently brushed some straw from Scorpius's robes. Rose cleared her throat and both boys wheeled around to face her again.

"Yes! Of course, that sounds great!" Scorpius exclaimed. "A study date!"

"No," Rose said, patiently. "OWL revision. The _three_ of us. I need you to go through some of the Potions work." She added, looking at Albus. "Hugo says that you've helped him a lot.

"Umm... Okay," Albus said slowly, looking slightly bewildered.

"So you're okay, then?" She asked, turning back to Scorpius, looking at him pointedly.

"Yes, I'm brilliant," Scorpius said. "Thank you, by the way for alerting Professor McGonagall and getting my Dad that night. I don't think things would be the way they are without you."

"Well I could hardly let you both freeze to death, could I?" Rose asked. "But it's good to see you safe again, and I'm sorry about your Mum. I hope you and your Dad will sort things out together."

"We're getting there," Scorpius said. "At least we actually talked about Mum's death. I don't think we did that before."

"Well it's good to see things are looking up for you," Rose said, smiling at him. A proper smile, that was warm and friendly. "You know, I shudder to think what would happen to the pair of you if I wasn't around to get you out of trouble. Anyway, I'll leave you two alone." She finished, a sly smile forming on her mouth as she looked at the pair of them significantly. Scorpius thought that the Owlery was very hot all of a sudden. With a last nod to Scorpius and Albus, Rose turned and left the Owlery, her bushy red hair whipping out of sight.

"What did she mean by that?" Scorpius asked Albus confusedly.

"I have no idea," Albus said gruffly. Scorpius noted that his face was bright red and Scorpius felt his own cheeks heat up all of a sudden. There was an atmosphere of awkwardness and Scorpius tried to say some thing to try and break the tension.

"She actually talked to me," He said quietly. "Rose. I had a proper conversation with her and everything. I thought I would have to wait until the Seventh Year to talk to her properly. And we're going to be studying together."

"She's funny like that, my Cousin," Albus said with a smile. "She pretends to be cold and tries not to care, but I think deep down, she does care. I mean, she's been a lot nicer since she was forced to accept that the Stone was real. I think that was a hard thing for her to accept."

"She did sort of save us," Scorpius said slowly. "Maybe she _is_ warming up to me. Maybe she _is_ moving beyond pity. We'll be building our Palace of love in no time!"

"Scorpius," Albus said seriously, placing his hands on Scorpius's shoulders. "I don't know if you'll end up marrying Rose and building that Palace of Love or anything like that, but I do know one thing: You'll always have me. I promised your Mum that I'll be here for you and I'm going to do just that."

Albus's eyes were shining fiercely and Scorpius felt as if many Butterflies were bouncing around his stomach and it hit about much Albus had been there for him during his search for the Stone. He had even held Scorpius's hand when he took that Dreamless Sleep Potion that night they had come back from the Forest. He had been that friend that Scorpius had always longed for before he started Hogwarts. Their adventure in the Forbidden Forest had made their friendship more stronger than ever before.

"Albus," Scorpius said softly. "You really do say some kind things. I told you once that you were a terrible friend. That can't be any farther from the truth. Because you are brilliant, _the_ most brilliant friend that I could ever have. I wouldn't have found the Stone without your help. I would've probably frozen in the Forest that night. Thank you, for helping me and finding the Stone for me and bringing me to my senses when I wanted to keep it."

"That's what Best Friends are for, Scorpius," Albus said, his green eyes looking as if they were staring into Scorpius's very soul, giving him the courage to say what had been wanting to say since coming back from the Forest.

"You told my Mum that you thought the world of me," Scorpius continued, feeling slightly nervous. "I've never forgotten about that. That was one of the best parts of that night, apart from seeing my Mum again. I didn't like letting her go, though. But Albus, I think the world of you too."

Albus's eyes grew brighter and he pulled Scorpius in for a hug. Scorpius melted into the hug, bringing his arms around Albus's middle and resting his head on his shoulder and closing his eyes in contentment. Scorpius noted that this hug was different compared to their other hugs. It was a lot more intimate and he always liked it when Albus hugged him; It made him feel safe, secure. As if all his troubles melted away. This was probably their longest hug that they shared. Eventually, they pulled away and Albus was looking at Scorpius, affection shining in his brilliant green eyes. Scorpius never noticed how green they really were until now. It took his breath away.

"She was beautiful, your Mum," Albus said, his cheeks turning pink again. He always seemed to do that whenever he talked about Astoria. "I can see a lot of her in you."

"That's what my Dad says," Scorpius said happily."I'm glad that you got to see her. I've always wanted you to meet her."

"I'm glad I met her as well," Albus said. "It's unfair that she died."

"I should've known that The Three Brothers held the answer." Scorpius said quietly. "I've read that story so many times, that the answer was practically staring me right in the face. That was one of my favourites."

"Dad used to read that story to us so many times when we were growing up," Albus said. "I should've known as well. It's funny how you forget things like that."

"Oh, I've just remembered," Scorpius said suddenly. "My Dad's coming to collect me soon. He says he wants to do something with me. I wonder what it is? I'm looking forward to it."

"Maybe he wants to go for a walk with you," Albus suggested drilly. "He's been spending a lot of time going for a drink with my Dad recently, that my Dad's probably given him some _parenting_ tips."

They both laughed together before lapsing into a comfortable silence. Albus leaned against the window, watching Hagrid working in the distance, feeding some Unicorns. The sun was shining on Albus making it look like that he was glowing gold. Scorpius found the sight to be mildly breath-taking. It felt as if small butterflies were bouncing around his stomach again. He could've stayed there forever, simply watching Albus. But he knew that his Dad was coming soon.

"Well, I've got to go and meet Dad," Scorpius said. Albus took his eyes way from the window and engulfed Scorpius in another hug.

"Another hug?" Scorpius noted dimly, patting Albus's back. "That's the second time you've done that. Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"I like this new version of us," Albus grinned, pulling away. "The one since last year. Providing Rose doesn't mind of course."

"I'll see you at dinner, Albus," Scorpius laughed. Albus hugged him for a third time before making his way to the Owlery door. He reached the door and paused and looked back at Scorpius.

"You know, I'm glad that this adventure wasn't as intense as last year's one," He said, grinning at Scorpius. "I don't think I'd be able to do what my Dad at my age. To be honest, I've had enough trouble for a lifetime."

With that, he opened the door and disappeared from sight. Scorpius stood there, feeling slightly dazed and made to follow him before remembering that he was due to meet his Dad soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe that I've almost finished this story. Time flies!


	13. Epilogue: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last: The final chapter.

It was an overcast day in Wiltshire and two figures were making their way down a winding country path full of potholes and puddles, a magnificent Manor House looming behind them under an iron-grey sky.

"It won't be long until you sit your OWLs," Draco remarked as they continued walking side by side. "I suppose you won't have much time to visit me on the weekends."

"I'll always have time to visit you, Dad," Scorpius said, kicking a pebble into a puddle where it landed with small splash. He remembered years ago when the three of them were making their way through the field next to the path that were down, that he was jumping in puddles and splashing his parents and Astoria had told him if he kept jumping into the puddles, he would end up in another world. He couldn't help smiling at that memory.

"Your education is far more important, Scorpius," Draco said gently, jerking Scorpius out of his thoughts. "Don't neglect it on my account."

"I've done a lot of revision already," Scorpius said. "I think I'm prepared."

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Draco said softly, smiling at Scorpius.

"That's what Mum told me," Scorpius said. "That night in the Forest, when I used the Stone. Before you came along. Albus said that I was going to get O's in every subject. I thought he was being silly."

"I don't think he was," Draco said thoughtfully as he pushed open a rusty old iron gate. "You're intelligent enough, Scorpius. If you put your mind to it, I'm sure you could achieve anything that you want to achieve. Have you thought about what you want to do after you leave Hogwarts?"

Scorpius hesitated. "Well, I was thinking…" He muttered, kicking at a stone that was in the way.

"Yes?" Draco asked, smiling encouragingly at him.

"I'm not sure if you'll think this is a good idea," Scorpius said reluctantly. "But I've been interested in healing. You know, being a Healer. I like helping people and I think that this would be ideal for me."

"I think that's a brilliant idea," Draco said as they made their way through a wooded area. "Your Mother was always such a kind, caring person. She always saw the good in everything. I think she would've loved to have been a Healer herself."

"So you're okay with that?" Scorpius asked in a hopeful voice.

"Your life is your own, Scorpius," Draco said, as they walked through the woods. "You are free to make your own decisions. I never had that choice, you know. Your Grandfather was very insistent that I follow the Pure-Blood ideals that shaped our family for generations. But having fought and lived through a war and seen these very ideals wreck lives and destroy families, your Mother and I decided to never force that on you."

"You had no choice in that other world," Scorpius pointed out. "We both did terrible things there."

"I think that was more out of necessity and protecting you in that world than personal choice," Draco said. "I was in a terrible place after the war. Your Mother was my anchor, helping me see the beauty of the simplest thing. Something that I think has been passed onto you."

Draco glanced at Scorpius who had noticed a Robin who had followed them and was singing away on one of the nearest tree branches. Scorpius wandered over to the Robin and put a hand in the pocket of his robes and took out some broken Owl treats and held his hand out to the Robin who eyed him curiously before hopping onto his hand and pecking at the treats. Draco was watching the Robin in awe.

"How did you do that?" He asked Scorpius. "They always fly away when I try and get near them."

"That's because you're not quiet enough," Scorpius said softly, looking at the Robin who was still pecking at the Owl treats. "They always fly away when you stomp over to them."

"You're just like your Mother," Draco laughed softly. "Astoria always had a way with animals. If she had her way, she would've turned the Manor into one of those Muggle Zoos."

"I would've liked that," Scorpius said softly, still looking at the Robin in his hand who had finished eating the Owl treats and was looking up at Scorpius with its black beady eyes. It allowed Scorpius to stroke its head with his finger before flying away.

"Dad?" Scorpius asked Draco as they resumed walking. "I love spending time with you and everything, but this place reminds me of the Forest and I keep thinking of the Centaurs and I don't need to be reminded of that because if I did, I might never set foot in another Forest again. Where exactly are we going?"

"You'll see," Draco said cryptically. They made their way out of the woods and Scorpius saw that they were in a Graveyard where the neat marble tombstones were in spacious rows. Scorpius had a feeling what they were doing, and sure enough they were at her Grave. Her headstone was made of pure white marble and it bore the inscription:

> _Astoria Malfoy_
> 
> _1982-2019_
> 
> _Sister, Wife, Mother_
> 
> _A loving light that will never be extinguished_

"You brought me to Mum's grave," Scorpius said quietly, looking at the pure white tombstone. He hadn't visited her grave since the funeral. Albus had been there with them and they both shared a bag of Pepper Imps in the pouring rain.

"As things have been going well, I thought we ought to visit your Mother," Draco said, looking at Scorpius tentatively. Scorpius smiled up at Draco.

"Yes, thank you," He said, voice slightly shaking. "It's been ages since I've been here. I like what you've done with it." He gestured at the Daffodils growing at the base of the tombstone.

"I usually come here alone, when I'm missing her," Draco said sadly. "But you haven't been here since the Funeral. Ginny Potter's right: It's time that we miss her together."

"Something we should've done when she first died," Scorpius pointed out. Draco put an arm around Scorpius's shoulders.

"She's in a better place now, son," He said quietly. "Free from all that pain and suffering. I think she's looking down on us right now laughing at the pair of us."

"Mum would _never_ laugh at _me_ ," Scorpius said in mock indignation, grinning up at his Father. "She might laugh at _you_ , but never me."

Draco laughed softly, before ruffling Scorpius's hair. "She was always too good for this world," He said heavily. "This cruel world, where people are judged by the sins of their Fathers and not by their own merits."

He lapsed into silence staring off into space and Scorpius shifted his feet.

"I thought she looked beautiful that night in the clearing," He said quietly, wondering if Draco would mind him talking about that night. "She seemed healthy and whole."

"Seeing her again was the best thing about that night," Draco said softly, squeezing Scorpius's shoulders. "I wanted one last moment with her and I got that wish. But we could never have kept that Stone."

"I know," Scorpius said quietly, shifting guiltily on the spot. "Harry explained it all, and so did Mum."

"She was always right, your Mother, and wiser beyond her years," Draco said. "And it seems that death has made her even more wiser." He added wryly, making Scorpius giggle.

"Your Mother," Draco sighed. "She didn't want you for the Malfoy name, for pure-blood or for glory, it was because she wanted you for us, and you have brightened up our lives in ways that you can't imagine. Your Mother hasn't truly left us, Scorpius. She lives on, in you."

Scorpius's vision was suddenly fogged by tears and he wiped his face with his sleeve.

"Thank you," He sniffed, pulling himself together and beaming at Draco.

"We could hug if you want," Draco said uncertainly. Scorpius launched himself at his Father, tackling him in a hug and briefly taking Draco by surprise before he wrapped his arms around Scorpius. They both stood there for a moment, arms around each other and both of them feeling that this journey had brought them closer together. They parted and faced the grave again, heads bowed and a thoughtful silence fell between them as they both remembered Astoria.

"I usually leave flowers at her grave when I come here," Draco said nonchalantly. "But in all our excitement in leaving, it seems I've forgotten to bring them."

"You could conjure some," Scorpius said. "Albus and I were practicing conjuring flowers the other day. We got the hang of it. Albus was really good at it."

"Maybe you could show me," Draco smiled.

"What? Now?" Scorpius squeaked, feeling alarmed at the prospect of performing magic in front of his Father.

"I'd like to see some of hard the work that you and Albus have been putting into your studies," Draco said. "Don't worry. I don't think Harry Potter will descend from the sky to arrest you." He added dryly. Scorpius giggled and took out his wand, before saying the incantation. Several large, colourful Sunflowers appeared and Scorpius carefully laid them in front of Astoria's grave. The Robin that Scorpius had befriended had returned and landed on Astoria's Headstone and began singing merrily. Draco and Scorpius both smiled at it.

"That was very good, Scorpius," Draco said appraisingly. "I'm impressed."

"Do think Mum would like them Dad?" Scorpius asked hopefully, looking up at Draco.

The Robin continued singing as the clouds shifted overhead and a golden ray of sunshine shone down on the grave. It was as if the sky itself was smiling. Scorpius felt a light breeze ruffle his hair; something that his Mother used to enjoy doing when he was younger.

"You know, son," Draco smiled, putting an arm around Scorpius's shoulder once more. "I think she would."

The Robin stopped singing and flew off towards the sun and out of sight as more clouds shifted, bathing the entire graveyard in a golden light. Draco and Scorpius both melted together. It seemed that after a long winter, spring was finally here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to say thank you for reading. This story has taken up a lot of my time, and I am very pleased at the way it turned out. I'm glad it's not a oneshot. I don't think it would've done the story justice. Thank you to all those who have commented. They really did keep me going when I was editing the majority of the story.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and a very merry Christmas to you.


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